In This Moment
by Sarah Kay Writer
Summary: Red has been reigning as champion for thirteen years now, and he can't imagine his life being any different. When an old friend from the past shows up, can she convince him that he's been missing out on experiencing the rest of the world? Maybe a friendly bet is all the convincing he'll need to take a moment and rethink his life. BurnLeafshipping.
1. Chapter 1: Coming Home

**Hey everyone! Welcome to my new BurnLeafshipping fic! Now, if you're one of my regular readers, don't worry. I'll still be updating Miles Away as often as I can. And if you're not one of my regulars, then that's good. I'm hoping to reach out to the actual BurnLeafshippers... Anyways, I'm writing this because... well... I happened to lose a bet to a certain someone that I care about, and... he made me write a BurnLeafshipping one-shot as the result. But I'm pretty sure this will end up being around 10 chapters, so... not really a one-shot. But I'm really excited about this story, and I think it will definitely end up being my best work yet, so I hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **And if you're looking for a reeeaaally good BurnLeafshipping story, go take a look at "For the Longest Time" by bass0bassinum.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

 **Note: My story isn't solely based on the manga or the games. It's a combo of both... but really it's my own thing loosely based on them. And also, Red and Leaf are both in their early 20's age-wise. This story wouldn't really work if they were still kids. Just trust me!**

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There's a moment between sleep and awakening where, for a brief moment, we are not ourselves. In those few seconds, we are unformed, uncivilized, untitled. We are suspended between was and will be. And then... we wake up, and we become ourselves. It was in this moment that Red was so rudely awakened by the sound of his Pokégear ringing.

With a groan, he reached over to his nightstand and accepted the call without even opening his eyes.

"What is it, Blue?" he asked sleepily. No one else would be calling him this early. "What the hell do you want now? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Red. Must be nice to sleep in like that every day," Blue answered. Red could feel his friend smirking on the other end. Oh, how he hated that smirk. Many times throughout the years he had wished that he could smack that crooked grin and all of its implications off of his friend's face.

"So what did you want?" Red repeated. He opened his eyes and sat up in bed, running his hands through his messy black hair. He grabbed the Pokégear from his nightstand and carried it with him as he headed to the bathroom to begin his morning routine.

"You'll never guess who's heading towards Pallet Town right now."

"Who?" Red asked as he stood in front of the toilet and lowered his sweat pants to relieve himself.

"Guess."

"What?"

"I want you to try and guess."

"Blue, nobody likes this game."

"Humor me, Red. I bet you ten-thousand poké that you won't guess right, and - what is that sound I'm hearing?!"

"I'm peeing," Red said bluntly. "Well, it's pretty hard to bet against you since I know, like, thousands of people. All of which you probably know as well which really cuts down on the process of elimination."

"Fine. It's Leaf."

"Leaf is coming to visit? It's been like three years since she last came home."

"That's right, Red," said a cheeky voice from the bathroom doorway. It was Leaf, clad in her traditional raspberry colored mini skirt and aqua tank top along with her signature white fedora. Red jumped in surprise and then scrambled to pull his sweatpants back up while Leaf laughed at his embarrassment.

"Blue!" Red yelled into his Pokégear, "How long ago did you know that Leaf was coming here?! Because she's here already and I doubt she traveled from Viridian to Pallet in a matter of minutes!"

"Did she just walk in on you taking a piss?" Blue gawked.

"Screw you," Red spat. Both Leaf and Blue burst into laughter.

"I would've called you earlier, but from the way you acted when I called you soooo early at 2 o'clock, I don't think that would've been wise," Blue explained.

Red flushed in embarrassment from both being caught by Leaf and knowing that Blue had a point.

"I'm just going to hang up now," Red muttered.

"Good choice, my friend."

With a grunt, Red ended the call and turned towards Leaf. He was still embarrassed that she had walked in on him in a private moment, but the girl seemed completely unfazed by the situation. She was just standing there, inspecting her fingernails calmly. She seemed to have an even more sophisticated air about her than she'd used to.

"I didn't see anything you know," she said, "You were turned away from me."

"It's still really creepy," Red pointed out, "I mean, who walks in on someone when they're peeing and then just stands there and laughs?"

"Who takes a piss when they're in the middle of calling somebody?" Leaf shot back smugly.

"Touché," Red conceded, blushing slightly, "Just... don't do it again."

Leaf didn't respond. She merely stared him down quietly, seeming to inspect his inner soul through his eyes. It began to make him uncomfortable, and he shuffled his feet nervously.

"So... why are you visiting home?" he asked awkwardly. "Any special reason? Or did it just feel like the right time or..."

"I came to see you, really," Leaf admitted, "I was wondering how you've been, and... well, you're even worse off than I imagined."

"What do you mean?" Red asked, "My life has been great since becoming champion."

"Has it?" Leaf asked. She sighed as Red tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Look at yourself," she said, walking over to him brusquely and grabbing his shoulders, guiding him over to the mirror above the sink. She kept her hands on him and stood behind him as he stared at his reflection. "You're twenty-three years old, Red. And yet your face still has the look of a child to it. You sleep in until 2 o'clock and complain that it's still too early to wake up. I had to ask your _mother_ for permission to come up here. It's like... you haven't matured yet. You need to get out and experience adulthood. Live a little, you know?"

"And what was the year I spent traveling? I traveled all of Kanto, and you're acting like all I did was walk down the street to the grocery store."

"Compared to what I've done, that's a fairly accurate analogy. I've traveled Kanto too, Red. And I also traveled Johto, Hoenn, Shinnoh, Unova, Kalos... I've seen it all. I spent the past thirteen years seeing the world. And now I come home to my roots, and you're still here living with your mother and playing video games all day."

"I do _not_ play video games all day. I have a job, Leaf. I'm the freaking champion of Kanto and Johto. I'm in charge of a lot of things going on in both regions. I go to meetings, I oversee projects, I make political decisions, I have to respond to complaints and suggestions from the citizens - it's a big job!"

"And how much of it does Lance do for you?"

Red remained silent, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He could see the fire in his red eyes blazing. Leaf was insulting him. What was worse was that she had a point. Lance did still oversee a lot of the politics in both regions. He practically was the entire government on his own. But still - who did she think she was, coming into his house after they hadn't seen each other for at least three years and telling him that his life was pathetic?

"What about Blue?" he asked. "He hasn't left Kanto either. But I'm sure you didn't make it a point to insult him while you were up in Viridian this morning."

"Blue runs a gym. He lives on his own. And he does research for Oak on the side. He travels when he can, and he's caught pokémon from other regions to use in his gym. True, he's stuck in Viridian a lot, but at least he's making a life for himself. Remember what he was like when we were kids? He was a stuck up little brat. Now, he's a very calm, intelligent, and influential man. Is he still an ass sometimes? Yes, but he makes up for it in other areas. You, on the other hand, practically have the same life you did when we first set out on our journey together. How often do you get challenged as champion, Red? Once or twice a year?"

"Yeah... once or twice a year is pretty accurate..." Red admitted. He turned around suddenly, looking Leaf in the eyes with a challenging stare, "But so what? Maybe I do have a lot of free time. Maybe I hardly ever leave Pallet Town. And maybe I like staying here to take care of my mom. Why is that so wrong, miss Leaf Green? Can you tell me that?"

"You're cheating yourself out of having a life, Red..." Leaf explained, "Your mom is only forty-two years old. She's not dependant on you. And here in Pallet, there's plenty of people who check on her every day. She's still got a lot of years ahead of her, and she's in excellent health. Are you going to stay here with her until she dies? Because that's a good thirty-five years from now at least. I'm only telling you these things because I care about you as my friend. I feel sorry for you. Your life could be so much more than it is..."

"Well, I like the way my life is. I'm used to routine. I don't like to go out and live dangerously, hopping from city to city in search of my next endorphin high. Like some people..."

Leaf scowled at him.

"I did live like that for a few years, but I've been staying in Kalos for the past year. I live there now. I have an apartment in Lumiose City, and I work for Professor Sycamore. Silver moved to Kalos too, which is a big part of why I chose to settle down there as well.. He and Lyra got married you know..."

"They're married now? No... I didn't know that." Red was slightly surprised. None of his friends were married. Until now... They really were getting older... they were adults now... It seemed like just yesterday that Silver and Lyra had both challenged him for his position as champion and failed.

"Look. If you don't believe you're wasting away here, then let me prove it to you," Leaf said, determination glittering in her eyes. I challenge you to a pokémon battle!"

"Well, that's a surprise!" Red said with a grin. "Last time we battled, you said you'd never challenge me again since I'm, and I quote, 'some type of Mew blessed prodigy.'"

Leaf smirked at him, tipping her hat forward a little.

"I may have said that once, Red. But luckily for me, I don't worship Mew anymore. I've seen it all, my friend... and now I worship Arceus, the true god of the pokémon world."

"Some god..." Red said, "I've never even heard of that pokémon. So you've switched up your religion too... are you even the same Leaf anymore?"

"Yes and no, Red. I learned a lot of things on my travels... and I kept what I did like and changed what I didn't. With luck, you'll start doing the same. Now, let's head outside so I can beat you."

Red shook his head and followed her. Who was this woman? Leaf certainly had changed... for the better or worse, he couldn't say. One thing was for sure though: old Leaf or new, there was no way she would ever be able to beat him in a pokémon battle.

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"We're having a full battle, right?" Red asked as the two of them walked outside and began heading towards the small practice field behind Red's house. The sun was high in the sky, the heat of the midsummer day beating down on them. Red suddenly wished he'd taken time to change out of his sleeping clothes.

"Like I'd give anything less to a _champion_ ," Leaf teased.

"You've never gotten over that, have you?"

"What?"

"That I'm a champion."

"Red, my darling... I will never think of you as a champion."

"Well... will you at least stop calling me things like 'my darling?'"

"Maybe. But probably not."

Red shook his head. Now there was the old Leaf. Still bold and stubborn and flirty like a teenager. The girl had always been able to get whatever she wanted from just about anyone. Because if somebody didn't care about her looks, she'd win them over with her personality, and if someone didn't care for her personality, she'd win them over with her looks. Red had known her for too long though. And he'd become too accustomed to both sides of her charm in order to fall into her well designed traps.

"I should probably mention that there are high stakes in this battle," Leaf said as they reached the field, "If you win, then I have to stop trying to get you out of your house. But if I win..."

Red's heart stopped. He was afraid to ask what he would be risking in this battle. This was a trap. He knew it. He knew that Leaf had something up her sleeve. But she couldn't really defeat him, could she? He'd known Leaf for a long time. Her team was nothing extraordinary. She'd never really been devoted to being a trainer, and she'd always breezed through life causing trouble wherever she went. Although... she'd seemed so serious when she'd challenged him earlier... he couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"What do you get if you win?" he asked tentatively.

"If I win, you have to leave your house and live a little. You have to see a new place, a new city, a new region. You have to come live with me in my apartment in Kalos for a week."

Red stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was serious or not. She wanted him to _live_ with her for a week? In a region he'd never been to or even heard much about? Just so that he could "experience the world?" Living with her for a week would never change his mind. No matter what he saw in this different region, he was never going to start traveling again, and that was that. And besides... he wasn't going to be on the losing end of this bet anyways.

"Deal," he said, shaking her hand. She shook back, with a grip that seemed stronger than it had in the past, yet still womanly. Even though she looked it, Leaf had never been dainty. But she had always been feminine. Like a rose bush with its hidden thorns, she had hid her toughness behind her beauty. Now, she seemed more like a Persian: strong and sophisticated, and graceful yet murderous.

"Let us begin," she said. They walked to their separate ends of the field, eyes afire with determination and spirit.

"Ladies first!" Red called out, to which she tipped her hat in response. She pulled a blue pokéball out of her bag. It was a design Red had never seen before.

"It's called a dive ball," Leaf explained. It's got a higher catch rate when you use it on or under water. You can't get them around here, so I'm not surprised that you've never seen one." She threw the ball out onto the field and called out, "Kingdra, let's get started!"

"Not bad, Leaf. You've switched up your team, I see. Hmm... my best bet for now is to start things out with Snorlax!" Red threw his pokéball onto the field, releasing Snorlax who was fast asleep. "Gah!" Red exclaimed, "Wake up Snorlax, we're having a match!" Red's pokémon merely scratched its stomach and let out an enormous yawn.

"Kindra, don't attack," Leaf said quietly, observing the behavior of Red's pokémon. Kingdra nodded and remained still. Red tried everything to get Snorlax to attack, but the pokémon wouldn't even use its Snore or Sleep Talk moves. As Leaf watched Red, her eyes darkened with concern, but she said nothing as he finally gave up, returning Snorlax to its pokéball.

"It doesn't matter. I'll defeat you with only five pokémon. Venusaur, I choose you!" Red released his grass type onto the field, and was relieved to see that it looked ready to battle.

"Kingdra, use Twister!" Leaf called out.

"Hold your ground, Venusaur!" Red commanded. Kingdra released a powerful Twister, but it did little to Red's heavy pokemon. "Now use Vine Whip!" Venusaur released its vines, stretching them out towards Kingdra.

"Ice Beam!"" Leaf shouted. Kingdra blasted Venusaur's vines with powerful waves of ice, freezing them in place. The plant-like pokemon tried to move its vines, but it did little more than crack the thick coating of frost in places.

"Use your Razor Leaf attack!" Red yelled, "And while she's dealing with that use Synthesis!" Venusaur released several leaves from its back and aimed them at Kingdra.

"Let them hit you and prepare to use Rain Dance right after!" Leaf instructed. The leaves hit Kingdra as Venusaur began to regain energy from the sunlight. However, Kingdra began to use Rain Dance and Venusaur could not recharge completely.

Red grunted in approval. Leaf had learned to make good battle choices. In the past she had always been reckless and rushed into risky battle situations that had almost always caused her to lose. Now her battle style was so refined. She was ready for his attacks, and could dish out effective counter-attacks as well.

"Venusaur, we'll have to recharge another way! Use Giga Drain!" Red could hear Leaf grunt in frustration. She hadn't seen that coming. Venusaur reached out with glowing green tentacles, wrapping them around Kingdra and draining its energy.

"Whip up a Blizzard attack, quick!" Leaf commanded. Kingdra, though it was suffering from Giga drain, let out a cry and summoned a powerful Blizzard. Venusaur took massive damage and was forced to retreat its attack.

"Now use Dragon Rush!" Leaf shouted. Kingdra built up power and began to glow with a purple aura, then it threw itself at Venusaur who was still trying to fight off Blizzard. The pokémon let out a roar, and then fainted.

Red was covering his face from the Blizzard, and he stared in shock through his arms as Venusaur fainted. How could Leaf be winning? It was time to turn this thing around before the scales became too unbalanced.

"Time to tip the scales! Pikachu, go!" Red yelled, releasing Pikachu onto the field.

"Kingdra, return!" Leaf called, holding up the dive ball and letting it suck the pokémon back inside, "Wigglytuff, come on out!" Leaf threw a normal pokéball this time, releasing one of her oldest and dearest pokémon.

Red was pleased. He'd battled Leaf's Wigglytuff many times, and he felt confident that he could win this round. Now things were starting to feel the way they'd used to.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Red called.

"Just let it hit you, Wigglytuff," Leaf instructed. Red stared down Leaf. What was she planning? Her eyes gave away nothing.

Pikachu hit Wigglytuff full force, knocking the pink pokémon back from the damage.

"Use Disable!" Leaf called.

"Crap," Red mumbled. She'd eliminated his strongest attack. And Pikachu had also taken damage from using Volt Tackle.

"Mega Kick!" Leaf called. Pikachu took a hit to the face, but then Wigglytuff was paralyzed by Pikachu's Static ability.

"Alright! Now's our chance!" Red shouted, "Use Thunderbolt, and then Iron Tail!"

"No!" Leaf shouted. Wigglytuff took heavy damage from both moves, and it panted heavily in pain but still stayed standing.

"This is our last chance, Wigglytuff. Stay with me," Leaf said in determination. Wigglytuff nodded and straightened its posture, ready to attack. "Wigglytuff, use Moonblast!"

"Moonblast?" Red asked in confusion. The pokémon began building a huge ball of energy above itself, "Pikachu, get ready to dodge!" Pikachu tried to run to the side, but it was too late. Wigglytuff's Moonblast hit it hard, causing it to fly across the field and roll backwards. The pokémon grunted in pain, but then slowly rose to its feet. Both pokémon had now taken massive damage, and were standing on their last leg.

"Thanks for hanging in there, buddy," Red said, "Now use your Thunderbolt attack again so that we can keep our distance!"

"Wigglytuff, use Last Resort!" Leaf called.

Pikachu released its Thunder Bolt as Wigglytuff ran towards it, glowing white. Wigglytuff ran straight through the Thunder Bolt, causing lightning to spew out to the sides before it collided with Pikachu, causing it to faint.

Red stood aghast. His partner... his best pokémon... had been defeated. He lowered his hat over his eyes. He couldn't believe it. In the past thirteen years, he'd never felt so embarrassed and disappointed.

"Pikachu, return," he said, returning the pokémon to its pokéball. For a brief minute, he allowed himself to look up at Leaf, and he saw that her eyes were serious. She seemed to be studying him, as though she were searching for something. Confidence radiated off of her. She knew she had the upper hand now. And that fact made Red sick to his stomach.

There was still one more hope. He had one more pokémon who'd always been able to pull through in tough situations. This was his last chance. He took out the pokéball, and the sun reflected off of it, giving it a promising glow.

"Charizard, it's your turn now!" he called, throwing the pokéball out onto the field.

As Charizard was released, it immediately flew up into the sky, causing dust to blow off of the ground and over Red. He shielded his eyes and coughed within the dust cloud.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Red called after it, "I didn't tell you to fly!" Charizard suddenly made a sharp turn and released a Fire Blast down onto the field, hitting Wigglytuff. The pink pokémon fainted instantly.

"Wigglytuff!" Leaf called in concern, rushing to her injured pokémon.

"I'm sorry, Leaf!" Red felt horrible. Even though he was battling her, he hadn't meant for Charizard to use such a powerful attack on the already weakened pokémon.

"Charizard, return!" Red yelled, holding up his pokéball and trying to call his pokémon back. Charizard snorted and then flew skyward, dodging the beam of the pokéball. Red muttered under his breath. Suddenly, Charizard swooped down, releasing a flamethrower over the field and setting the tall grass on the sidelines afire.

"Oh come on now, Charizard!" Red yelled, "That fire is heading straight for my house!"

"Use your Blastoise and Lapras to put the fire out, Red!" Leaf shouted, "I'll take care of Charizard!"

Red couldn't believe it. There was no way that Leaf would be able to handle Charizard when it was in a rage like this. Even Red himself could barely handle the powerful pokémon when it was being ornery.

Nevertheless, Red found himself releasing Blastoise and Lapras from their pokéballs. He'd have to put the fire out first, and then he could help Leaf with Charizard.

"Blastoise, Lapras! Put out that fire!" he commanded. The two pokémon immediately began shooting water over the flames. Red turned away to check on Leaf. He stared at the sight before him in disbelief. She'd chosen Venusaur to fight Charizard. What was she thinking?

What happened next was even more of a shock. Leaf raised up her arm in front of her and pressed a button on her bracelet. Venusaur began to glow as though it were evolving, but how could that be possible? Red watched as even more leaves extended from the plant on the pokémon's back, and the leaf draped over its head turned into a flower. Vines also drooped from the pokémon's plant and the pattern of its spots changed. Leaf had indeed, somehow, just evolved her Venusaur.

"Venusaur, use Solar Beam!" she yelled. Red watched as the pokémon began charging the beam. Charizard was watching with contempt. The other pokémon's evolution hadn't gone unnoticed by it either. Suddenly, Venusaur released the widest, longest, most powerful Solar Beam attack Red had ever seen. It was blinding, yet beautiful in a way. Even Charizard could not dodge it, though it tried its best.

Red watched as his dragon fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a loud and painful thump. Leaf told her Venusaur to use Sleep Powder, calming the pokémon into a deep slumber. Red returned his pokemon in shame. He was the champion of Kanto and Johto, but his friend could control his pokémon better than he could.

Blastoise and Lapras had successfully put out the fire, and Red returned them both to their pokéballs as well. He then turned back to Leaf, who was returning Venusaur. The pokémon glowed again, though this time it went back to its normal Venusaur state. She then held out its pokéball and returned it.

Red was in awe, but he also felt embarrassed. Leaf could do something that he'd never even heard about. And he'd only defeated one of her pokémon, which hadn't even happened at his command.

"Leaf... what did I just see?" he asked, "Did your Venusaur just evolve?"

Leaf giggled and turned towards him.

"That, dear Red, was mega evolution."

"Mega... evolution?"

"That's right. Mega evolution has recently been discovered in Kalos. It existed a long time ago, but it's just now being used again. This thing on my wrist," Leaf held up her wrist so Red could get a better look, "is called a mega band. And Venusaur is holding what's called a mega stone - Venusaurite, to be exact. Together, they can be used to cause mega evolution, and Venusaur becomes more powerful. Mega evolution is only temporary though, as you just saw."

Red was impressed. And curious. He'd had no idea that such a thing existed. Could Leaf be right about everything? Was he really cheating himself by staying here in Pallet Town?

"I have another question," he said, "What was that move your Wigglytuff used earlier?"

"That was Moonblast, a fairy type move."

"Fairy type?"

"Yes. It's a new type of pokémon that's been recently discovered. It's also been discovered that certain species which had previously been discovered are half fairy type, just like Wigglytuff."

Red took in what Leaf was saying. There really were new things to discover in the other regions. There were things he didn't know. Things that could make him a better trainer, and a better champion.

"Now about your pokémon..." Leaf said hesitantly, "This all has just proven my point. Your pokémon are upset with you. Your Snorlax won't even fight. Charizard is obviously bored out of its mind. And your other pokémon aren't as well trained as they used to be. Do you even let them out of their pokéballs, Red?"

"Of course I do! I let them out every day."

"But there's nothing for them to do here. They're bored. They never get to fight. And it's weakened them. You may have been able to keep your title as champion for the past thirteen years, but at this rate you won't have that title much longer."

Red looked down at the ground. He knew she was right. He hadn't realized it before, but he was slowly losing his skill as a trainer. And even though they hadn't been able to finish their battle, he knew that he'd lost to her today. And he knew what he had to do now.

"I'll come stay with you for a week," he said, "But only a week! Nothing more... and nothing less. And... when this is all over... I want a rematch."

"It's a deal. Red, my friend... I am going to show you the world!"

"I know you are, Leaf. Just don't show me so much that it overwhelms me, okay?"

Leaf's smile curled into a smirk.

"Oh Red, darling... that's exactly what I plan to do."

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 **Wow. Setting up the story was really... challenging. And this chapter came out longer than intended. But the first chapter is usually the hardest for me, so I'm glad I got through it! Things will get way more exciting from this point forward.**

 **I'm planning on hiding references to all sorts of things throughout this story. Just because it's fun. If you guys want, you can try and guess them all! I'll always tell you how many are in each chapter. There are two references in this chapter. One is really easy, and one is really hard. So if anybody guesses the hard one... I'll be very impressed.**

 **Thank you for reading! I appreciate reviews, follows, and favorites! And feel free to ask questions, leave criticism, or make suggestions. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks!**


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome To New York

**Well, here's chapter two. I had so much trouble with this chapter. Aside from apologizing for the wait, I don't have anything to say, so let's just get straight to the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

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When Red told his mother that he was going to visit Leaf for a week, she'd had that look in her eyes that Red had grown to hate over the years. It was a look of sadness, anger, worry, and hopelessness all concentrated into one intimidating stare. Total distress. It just screamed, "my precious little boy is going to do something stupid, and I know I can't stop him." It had made him feel angry and guilty at the same time, and it actually made him want to leave just to get away from those eyes. However, his mother had placed a package of homemade cookies in his backpack that morning, and he knew it was her way of apologizing. He couldn't get rid of the guilt though, because he knew that she only got that look in her eyes because she loved him.

Now, Red sat on his front porch waiting for Leaf. She had gone home to visit her mom after their battle, and she planned to meet Red soon so that they could head back to her place in Kalos. They were going to fly there on their pokémon, which had Red a bit worried after Charizard's episode yesterday.

"Keep your shit together," he said, staring down at the pokémon's pokéball.

"Are you all set?" Red looked up to see that Leaf was standing in front of him. Her eyes seemed to be shining with amusement. Great. She must have heard him talking to Charizard.

"Yeah. I'm ready," Red said, rising to his feet. He picked up his backpack and put it on his shoulders.

"Great!" Leaf said, "Now, before we go I need you to release Charizard for a minute."

"Why?" Red asked.

"Just trust me, darling." Red rolled his eyes, but he complied with her request. He released Charizard from its pokéball and just prayed that it would behave today.

Charizard stood before Leaf, letting out a low growl as it looked down at her. She stared back at it with unblinking eyes, and then slowly pulled something from behind her back. She held it up to Charizard carefully. Red was confused. It looked like... a cupcake?

"Here you go, Charizard," Leaf said, "This is a poké puff. It's very delicious." She smiled at the pokémon encouragingly, and Charizard gently took the poké puff in its jaws. Red was impressed. Leaf had just fed his most fierce and hot-headed pokémon straight from her hand.

Charizard swallowed the treat and then let out a happy roar, flapping its wings and knocking Red down in the process. Leaf laughed.

"Now there's a happy pokémon!" she exclaimed, "You okay, Red?"

"I'm fine," he said tersely, picking himself up and brushing the dust off his pants, "Only thing hurt is my dignity. I'm just glad that Charizard is in a good mood now. Thanks, Leaf."

"Yep! That's what I do!" Leaf said cheerily, "Now let's get going!" She released a pokémon that Red had never seen before. It had big, white, puffy wings that looked like clouds and a long, blue neck with round, white cheeks and two stream-like ribbons flowing from its head.

"Who's that pokémon?" Red asked.

"It's Altaria," Leaf said, petting the pokémon's head, "It's a flying and dragon type pokémon. Altaria also has the ability to mega evolve."

"Another pokémon that can mega evolve? How many pokémon are there that can mega evolve?" Red asked.

"So far, forty-six mega evolutions have been discovered," Leaf answered, "but more are being discovered all the time. I have a few different pokémon that can mega evolve, but I mostly just use them to help Professor Sycamore with his research. For the most part, my team hasn't changed much over the years. I use my original pokémon when it comes to any truly tough battles, with a few exceptions now and then. But I don't battle much anymore, and I still haven't caught nearly as many pokémon as you have, even though I've been to each region."

"You're darn right you haven't caught as many pokémon as me!" Red said proudly. So, can any of _my_ pokémon mega evolve?"

"Your Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard all have mega evolutions," Leaf said, nodding towards Charizard. The pokémon's eyes gleamed with interest, and it let out a quiet snort.

"We'd better get going if we want to make it to Kalos by evening," Leaf said as she climbed onto Altaria's back. The pokémon let out a high-pitched cry and then took to the sky. Red climbed onto Charizard who followed suit. The two pokémon rose into the sky, and then began to fly at break-neck speeds, racing each other competitively. Red looked down at the trees rushing by below them.

"We're going really fast! Are you okay, Leaf?!" Red yelled.

"I'm fine! What? You think I can't keep up with you?" she shot back sassily.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Red shouted in protest. Leaf laughed and then Altaria pulled ahead. Red grunted. She just had to show him up at everything, didn't she? He'd have to get her back at some point.

"Oh! By the way," Leaf yelled over her shoulder, "I have a stop to make on the way home!"

"Where are we going?" Red asked.

"You'll see!" With that, she began flying even faster, and Charizard sped up to accommodate the new pace.

"Crazy girl," Red muttered, holding on to his pokémon tightly. Already he knew that this was going to be the most hellish week of his life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

They'd been flying for a few hours, and Red was pretty well in the zone. When you're flying, you tend to get bored and slip into the realm of daydreams, which can be quite dangerous, but is really a lot safer than it sounds.

"This is where we stop!" Leaf called from up ahead. Red almost fell off of Charizard from the sudden outburst, and he let out a soft curse. Once he regained his balance, he looked down to try and figure out where they were. They seemed to be over the ocean. What were they doing here, and where in the world were they going to land?

Red looked over at Leaf in confusion. She had her pokégear out, and she was looking at some kind of map application. He wondered if maybe the altitude was getting to her head. There was nothing down below but foamy sea water. Surely enough though, she began to fly lower, preparing to land. He followed her cautiously, not fully trusting her judgment.

As they flew lower and lower, Red could see that there actually was some land down below. Amongst the unending beauty of the ocean was a small island. It looked odd though. The bright white sand seemed to be covered in hundreds of bright blue dots. As they drew closer and closer, he could see that the dots were moving. Were they pokémon?

Upon landing, Red was astounded as he saw that the dots were indeed pokémon. The entire island was coated practically shore to shore with them. They were blue, with tan stomachs and gleaming tusks. Some of them were round like beach balls and others were large and long with fan-like whiskers. Here and there, he'd see an even larger species that was darker in color and had a flowing mane of white hair.

"Leaf, what is this place?" Red asked as she withdrew Altaria for a rest. He did the same with Charizard as she answered him.

"Currently, we're in the Hoenn region, between Lillycove City and Mossdeep City. There are many small islands around here, and this one is called Sealeo Island. Named for the large amount of Spheal, Sealeo, and Walrein found here." She pointed to each pokémon as she said its name, and Red took it all in curiously. "They're ice and water types, so that's why it feels so cold here. The underside of the island is mostly composed of ice, and there's a place called Shoal Cave a few miles away where even more Sealeo reside."

"So why are we here?" he asked.

"We're looking for a mega stone that can only be found here. It's called Sharpedite. It used to be thought that Sharpedo gather around this island to hunt the Sealeo population, but with the recent discovery of Sharpedo's mega evolution, it's been discovered that this island has a high concentration of Sharpedite, which also draws them here."

Leaf pulled out her pokégear again and clicked on another application. It began to beep periodically, and an arrow appeared on her screen.

"This will tell us when we're getting close to the Sharpedite," she explained.

Carefully, the two of them began picking their way through the Sealeo. Most of them were sleeping, or just laying around lazily. Red couldn't see why anyone would want to train one of these sluggish creatures. Then again, he'd seen a fighter in Snorlax, and had managed to raise it into a total fighting machine. It seemed like that had happened ages ago though... and now Snorlax had gone soft again... If only there were more trainers who would challenge him. Then maybe his pokémon could stay in better shape.

"Help!" Red snapped to attention at the sound of Leaf's voice, but when he looked up he didn't even see her. He looked around until he finally spotted her several feet away, being swatted around by a group of Sealeo. They couldn't fully toss her into the air, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves as they pushed her from one to the other with their flippers, sending her sprawling in all directions.

He couldn't help himself.

"Oh my god," Red laughed aloud, "Are they playing some type of game with you?"

"It's not funny! Make them stop, Red!" Leaf yelled.

"But they seem to be having such a good time!" he said innocently.

"Red!"

"Okay, okay," Red relented. God, her voice was scary when she was mad, "Pikachu, go!" He released Pikachu and had it expertly shock the Sealeo. Leaf stood tense, waiting to be shocked as well, but when she didn't feel anything, she opened one eye tentatively before opening the other and looking around at the fainted pokémon.

"How'd Pikachu do that without shocking me as well?" she asked in confusion.

"Hey, we're not totally out of shape you know," Red smirked, "We still have ample skill. Right, Pikachu?

"Pika!" the pokémon agreed, jumping onto Red's shoulder. Leaf smirked, and then turned away. Red briefly admired the way her hair swung from side to side as she turned. He'd always liked girls with long hair. But he also liked girls who were nice. Not that Leaf was particularly mean, but she was definitely a bit too headstrong and vulgar for his liking.

"Come on then. We're almost to the Sharpedite," she said.

"What, no thank you?" Red teased as he followed after her. Leaf kept walking on silently, and he couldn't help smiling to himself.

They continued to make slow progress through the Sealeo, but eventually, they reached the center of the small island, which dipped down into a shallow bowl of sand. Leaf's pokégear began beeping wildly.

"This is the spot," she said.

"Wait," Red interjected, "If the Sharpedite is found in the center of the island, how do the Sharpedo get to it? I mean, I've never seen one, but they're sea-dwelling pokémon, aren't they?

"Precisely. You see, nature has a way of taking care of itself. The Sharpedo can't get to the mega stones on their own. Most mega stones are protected the same way. This is why mega evolution is so rare and only recently discovered. Pokémon are too powerful when they mega evolve. In the wild, it would mess up with the natural order of things . For instance, if the Sharpedo around this island could mega evolve all the time, then they would totally slaughter all of the Sealeo, and then there'd be none left."

"And you think nature has everything to do with it," Red stated.

"Well, yes. Nature takes care of itself," Leaf said, "Why? What are you getting at?"

"Are you, like, one of those eco-friendly, tree hugging people now?"

"No," Leaf said, "but I am fascinated by the way this world works. And I believe we should do our part to take care of it."

"And thus, you create a paradox."

"What?"

"You see, people like you claim that we're one with nature or something like that. Yet, you admit that nature is _dependent_ on us humans, because we have to take care of it. Therefore, you _really_ believe that we are above nature - that we are separate from it."

"Red... you have issues," Leaf said coolly.

"And you have spectacular counter arguments." Her eyes narrowed at that.

"So you think we should just abuse nature to our hearts' content?"

"Of course not. But, it's not like nature has a mind of its own. It just _is_. Of course we have to consider the environment, but I don't think humans should _stress_ over it the way they do sometimes."

"Ugh! You're driving me crazy! Let's just get the Sharpedite and get out of here already," Leaf said in frustration.

Red grinned to himself. Maybe if he acted like this every day, she'd get so fed up with him that she'd send him back home early. He did agree with everything he'd just said, but in all honestly, he didn't truly care about it. So what if some people believe that humans need to put a lot of work into protecting the environment? People can believe whatever they want to as long as it doesn't cause any problems. And 95% of the time, beliefs don't cause problems until people start arguing about them.

"Start digging," Leaf said, falling to her knees in the sand and scooping it up in her small hands.

"At that rate we'll be here the entire week," Red said flatly as he watched her.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Leaf asked.

"Well... do any of your pokémon know Dig?

"No. Do any of yours?"

"No."

"Than what good are you?" she huffed. Red rolled his eyes. "Are you going to help me or not!?"

"I'm helping, I'm helping! Jeez!" Red said in frustration, kneeling down in the sand beside her. The two of them dug through the endless pit of sand slowly, making next to no progress at all.

"Are you getting the feeling that we're doing this in vain?" Red asked after several minutes.

Leaf was about to reply, when they were interrupted by a loud squeal of delight. They turned to look behind them, and saw a baby Spheal frolicking in the sand with a shiny spherical object.

"Where did it get that giant marble?" Red asked.

"That's the Sharpedite, you fool!" Leaf said quietly.

"Really? Then we totally lucked out, right? We don't have to dig anymore."

"Yes, but how are we going to get that baby pokémon to give it to us?"

"Leave it to me," Red said, rising to his feet.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Leaf asked.

"Hey, trust your partner," Red told her.

"Well, you did impress me when you shocked the Sealeo earlier. Go for it," she encouraged him. Tentatively, he walked towards the pokémon. It looked up at him with friendly eyes, holding the Sharpedite in its jaws.

"Hey, little guy..." Red said gently, petting its head, "Do you want to play a game with me?" The Spheal clapped its stubby paws together joyously and barked, dropping the Sharpedite on the ground. It then scooped the stone up, balancing it on its nose and bumping it over to Red, who caught it. He threw the stone back to the pokémon, and it caught it on its nose before bumping it back to Red again. They played catch for a little while as Leaf watched in amusement. Red had always been good with pokémon. Well, with the exception of his Charizard. It really was a shame that he'd gone so soft in his training these past few years. However, it appeared that he still had the magic touch.

"Last toss!" Red called out to the Spheal. Once the pokémon had caught the stone, Red walked over to it and petted its head again.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Red asked. It squealed in response, clapping its paws again. "Here's the thing... my friend and I need this stone. It's very important to us, and we came here just to get it. Is it alright if we take it?"

There was no reply from the Spheal. It just stared back at Red with friendly eyes. It didn't seem upset in the slightest, so he took that as a sign that it was okay to take the Sharpedite.

"Alright... I'm going to take it now," he said gently, slowly reaching out towards the stone. The pokémon stood perfectly still, continuing to look at him with those friendly eyes. Carefully, Red picked up the stone and pulled it back towards him. A fraction of a second later, the baby pokémon let out wail strong enough to make anybody's ears bleed. It was high in pitch and loud enough that the whole island could hear it.

"Little bastard!" Red cursed, covering his ears while still gripping the stone tightly.

"Nice going!" Leaf shouted from behind him.

"It's not my fault! It blind-sided me!" Red protested.

A chorus of cries rose from the pokémon around them. Red and Leaf looked around frantically, seeing that every single Spheal, Sealeo, and Walrein on the island was surrounding them, responding to the crying baby like it was a call to arms.

"What should we do?" Red asked. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder to the ground and sparked its cheeks in preparation for battle.

"There's so many of them... even with all twelve of our pokémon, this would be a tough fight to win. I vote for running away." Red stared back at her blankly.

"Really? Thirteen years of traveling taught you to run away? Gee, I really missed out on a treasure trove of knowledge by living at home, didn't I?"

"Shut up and save your sarcasm for later," Leaf said, "Unless you want to end up frozen solid, I suggest you _trust your partner_ , as you said earlier."

"Fine." Red returned Pikachu and released Charizard and Leaf released Altaria. They quickly mounted their pokémon and took to the sky.

"Get ready to dodge!" Red warned Leaf. Sure enough, several Ice Beam and Aurora Beam attacks were released upon them. Charizard and Altaria both did their best to dodge the beams while Red and Leaf hung on for dear life and screamed their heads off. Once in a while, a beam would just graze them and they'd feel a little taste of the freezing cold attack, but eventually, the beams stopped coming, and they could all relax as they flew away from the island.

"That was a close one..." Leaf sighed.

"Yeah... I'm sorry," Red said.

"It's okay. At least we got the Sharpedite. Uh, you do still have it, right?"

"Yep. It's right here," Red said, holding it out to Leaf.

"Perfect. I would've been in a heap of trouble if we didn't get it," Leaf said, taking it from him and stuffing it into her bag.

"You're welcome by the way," Red said.

"Heh... thanks," Leaf said awkwardly, "Come on now, we still have a long way to go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time they reached Kalos, night had fallen. They'd stopped briefly in Unova for a quick meal in Striaton City after retrieving the Sharpedite, and now they were finally just minutes away from their destination.

"You're not going to believe how big Lumiose City is," Leaf said as they continued their flight, "It literally has just about everything you could imagine!"

"I've seen big cities," Red said in amusement, "I've been to Saffron and Celadon and Goldenrod, you know." Leaf smiled and shook her head. Boy, he was innocent. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

"There it is," she said. Red looked downward and his eyes grew wide at the sight. She laughed and told Altaria to fly lower.

Leaf never grew tired of the sight of Lumious at night. Every building, every street lamp, every window was lit with the warm glow of human life. She never felt alone here, and she never felt like she wasn't doing something. Even just sitting in her apartment watching television, she knew she was surrounded by thousands of people. For some people, that would bother them, maybe even cause paranoia. But for her, it was the feeling she'd been craving ever since she'd first left Pallet Town thirteen years ago. Whenever she visited home, it felt empty, and hollow. Pallet was as lifeless as a Magikarp on the deli counter, the knife poised over its head delicately, ready to take whatever breathe of life it had left. She didn't know how Red could stand to keep living there in all of its simplicity and closed-mindedness.

"Leaf, that city is huge!" Red said in awe, snapping her out of her trance.

"Well, I hate to say I told you so..." Leaf said with a grin.

"Yeah. Well, even _you_ can be right sometimes," Red said, "What an awful place to live though. Look at all of the people and the pokémon and the noise and crowds and traffic and blinding lights... the vanity and depravity and coexistance of wealth and poverty...," Red trailed off.

Leaf shook her head. One of the greatest mysteries and greatest blessings in life is that people can look at one thing and see something completely different from everyone else.

"I'll make you love this place," she told him.

"I highly doubt that," he answered.

"You'll learn to appreciate art and science and culture... It'll be awesome."

"I already appreciate art and science and culture," Red told her, "I know you think I've spent the past thirteen years napping and playing video games, but I only did that... forty percent of the time. I also read classic works of literature, and studied text books, and I can appreciate any type of art just as well as you can."

"You mean to tell me that the innocent, gullible, overly trusting Red who I first left Pallet Town with has spent the past thirteen years reading Shakespearean tragedies and political allegories?"

"Well, maybe not for the whole thirteen years, but maybe for the past five or six. I had to grow up sometime, Leaf. You think I'm still a child, but I've done way more thinking about my life than you have you know. And maybe I happen to enjoy reading and learning."

"You can't just learn about the world by reading though. Life is no story book. You have to _do_ things. See things first hand. Dance to the music, sip the wine, live life as it should be. And that, my dear Red, is what I am going to show you this week. I'm going to help you adventure through the highs and lows of life!"

"Speaking of which," Red interrupted, "Does today count towards the week I'm spending here?"

"Absolutely not. All we did today was fly." You have to spend the next seven days here."

"Drat," Red said, snapping his fingers. "I always stay too optimistic."

"Yeah, that's your problem," Leaf said sarcastically, "We're about to land."

They touched ground in front of a building that looked slightly regal, slightly professional, and slightly out of place. It was built out of white stone, like much of the rest of the city's buildings, but it was shaped distinctively so that it would stand out amongst the chaos.

"This is Professor Sycamore's lab," Leaf explained, "We'll just stop in quick and deliver the Sharpedite and then be on our merry way."

"So is this guy as flakey as Oak?" Red asked jokingly.

"No. But he has his... own troubling attributes," she answered. He looked puzzled, but she didn't elaborate, instead leaving him to see what she meant for himself. Or maybe he wouldn't see it at all. Together, they entered the building and rode the elevator up to the second floor. Leaf pulled the Sharpedite out of her bag. She'd been planning this moment out all day.

The elevator door slid open like the curtain on Leaf's stage, and she knew that she was indeed a modern day Queen Elizabeth I, turning every important interaction into a manipulative performance.

"Hey, Professor!" she called out cheerily.

"Leaf!" he responded in pleasant surprise, "Did you find what we've been looking for?"

"We sure did! See for yourself!" she answered, holding the Sharpedite out to him.

"Fascinating!" Sycamore exclaimed, taking the stone and holding it up to the light, "Beautiful work, Leaf!"

She smiled at him painstakingly. Sycamore was a nice guy, but his every word and every action was glazed with self emasculation. He was so subtly effeminate that she couldn't help being annoyed by it.

"Thanks, Professor! I worked really hard to get it for you!" she said. Red opened his mouth to protest, but Leaf shot him a glare that could freeze burning coals instantly.

"Well, I really appreciate your hard work, Leaf! You're a great assistant! Calem still hasn't returned from Hoenn yet. I asked him to search for a couple of mega stones there as well, and he should be back any day now. You two have been so helpful in my research. I can't thank you enough!"

"You're welcome, Professor," Leaf said sweetly, "This is my friend, Red," she said, pulling his attention away from the mega stone. He turned away from it, noticing Red for the first time.

"Aren't you the champion of Kanto?" he asked.

"Yeah, that'd be me," Red said nonchalantly.

"Leaf didn't even tell me she was going to visit Kanto! And she certainly didn't tell me that she'd be bringing a champion here to visit!" He let out one of his wretchedly overdramatic laughs and slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Professor..." Leaf began innocently, "Red is going to be staying with me all week, so I won't be able to work this week as we have many things to do."

"But Leaf, I -" Sycamore started.

"Thanks, Professor! You're the best boss in the whole world!" she gushed. "Run!" she whispered to Red frantically. The two of them made a mad dash for the elevator, leaving Sycamore to a long, short-handed week. Though he probably wouldn't mind too much. He was pretty relaxed like that. And yet she couldn't understand how someone could be so relaxed yet so overly dramatic at the same time.

"He seemed pretty normal," Red said as they rode back down the elevator.

"Well... he's not. You wouldn't understand. Just trust me, he's way more annoying than Oak. If you had to be around him every day, all of his quirks would get on your nerves too."

"Whatever you say," Red answered with a shrug, "Also, why do we have to keep running away from everything today?"

"Because I say so. That's why. Now, I have a car parked outside." Leaf told him as they ran out of the building.

" _You_ have a car? _You_ can drive?!" Red asked incredulously.

"Yes," Leaf replied tersely, "It's the green car over there."

"Why do you own a car?" he asked as they got into the vehicle.

"You practically have to if you want to live here," Leaf explained, "Besides, my apartment is on the other side of the city." She started the car and they took off, heading past the countless buildings. Red stared at all of it with awe, taking it in as best as he could, which wasn't very well. It was so overwhelming that it made him dizzy. He rolled down his window to get a better look.

"This city has one of everything," he said.

"That's an understatement. It has five or six of everything," Leaf corrected him. They continued onward, passing by several restaurants, shops, and other businesses.

"Roll your window up. We're about to pass through the red light district, and it's night time," Leaf said.

"Red light district?" Red asked as he rolled his window back up. His eyes grew wide as they drove past all of the flashing lights. The street was lined with bars and strip clubs and cheap casinos... He could practically smell the sex and alcohol and cigarette smoke through the car windows. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. He'd been in bars before. He'd gone to a strip club once because Gary insisted upon it. He'd tried his hand at poker and he'd tried smoking just to do it. But never before had he seen such concentrated depravity gathered together in one place. They drove past women standing on the sidewalk looking for business, and the thought of paying to have sex with someone made his stomach hurt. He couldn't watch anymore.

Luckily, they made it through the red light district quickly, and the view out his window returned to more pleasant sights. Leaf hadn't said anything the whole time. In the silence, Red allowed himself to think about what was happening for the first time. Here he was, in a car with his friend of the opposite sex who he hadn't seen in years. She had changed in so many ways, and yet she hadn't changed a bit. And she kept telling him that he should do the same. Again, he felt angry at her for trying to dictate his life, but he couldn't be angry for long. Something about Leaf just made him want to go along for the ride and see where she would put him down at the end of it.

But still. She was practically a stranger. And that thought was so awkwardly exciting that he couldn't help feeling a rush of adrenaline. He hadn't done anything this adventurous in years, and maybe there was something sad about that. Maybe she was right to an extent. He'd just have to sit back and find out.

"Here's my building," Leaf said. They parked in front of a large white building that looked rather boring. It was just the standard rectangular shape with uniform windows and balconies for each apartment.

"It's better on the inside," Leaf promised him, reading his thoughts. Together, they went inside and rode the elevator up to the twelfth floor. They stood next to each other awkwardly during the ride. They knew that anyone who saw them would assume that they were about to engage in a one night stand of some sort, and the thought made them both uncomfortable and embarrassed. Once the door opened, Leaf took over with her excitement though as she bounced down the hallway happily. She stopped in front of her door and did a little spin, pulling out her key as she did so.

"Welcome to my little piece of paradise!" Leaf said, beaming proudly as she opened the door to her apartment. Red had to admit to himself as he went inside that the place did have a homey feel to it. The carpet was clean and white, and the walls were a light shade of blue. Leaf had chosen cute furniture to decorate the place, and she had a bookshelf filled with books and other objects in the corner. Her television was small, and she had hung pictures of her family and friends as well as a few paintings on the walls.

"Wait until you see the best part," she said excitedly, leading him over to the sliding door that would open to the balcony. They went outside and Red was met with a breathtaking sight, though he'd never let Leaf know that he felt that way. From her balcony, they could see all of the lights of the city, and the skyline of the buildings was so artistically gorgeous. There weren't any stars, but somehow he didn't mind. The artificial lights had a beauty of their own.

"Isn't the view amazing?" Leaf asked.

"Sure it is," Red replied, "You can see a guy down there urinating on the sidewalk."

"Well... now you know why I was so chill when I walked in on you yesterday," she replied coyly, "I'd love to start showing you around now, but it's a lot later than I thought it would be. So what do you say we call it a day?"

"Sounds good to me," Red agreed, "I'm guessing I get the couch?"

"Yeah. I hope you don't mind."

"Nah. It's fine."

"... Tomorrow, I'll show you the world."

"Well then... until tomorrow," he said, walking back into the apartment. Leaf smirked. She'd missed him. A lot. A lot more than she had realized. There was something about having him sleep on her couch that made her stomach flutter, though she didn't understand it. She quickly dismissed the thought. Red was a man. She couldn't help noticing things about him, like the shape of his jaw or the way that his hair looked incredibly soft, or the way that his shoulders filled out his shirt. That's all there was to it.

No way would she ever actually fall in love with Red Ketchum. Not in a thousand years. Although she did have to admit... to fall in love with him would be an awfully big adventure.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Okay. Things are progressing a bit better now. As you may have noticed, all of my chapter titles are going to be song titles. So to anyone who was confused by this chapter's title... hopefully you're not confused anymore. And don't worry, there won't be any more Taylor Swift song titles. It was just the most fitting one for the chapter.**

 **You also got a taste of my... geographical humor. If anyone is honestly wondering why I like seal islands, then you can ask me and I'll tell you my slightly humorous back story on why I find them funny. But, well, it's nothing special.**

 **And for anyone who wants to try and guess the references in this chapter, there are two of them, and they are both pretty easy.**

 **Thanks to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, following, or favoriting so far! If you have any questions, suggestions, complaints, etc., feel free to drop me a review or PM.**


	3. Chapter 3: Raise Your Glass

**Hey everyone! I've been trying to plan out this story well enough to at least know exactly how many chapters it'll have, and... I still have no clue! So for now we're still pretty much going with the flow. There's a certain scene I have planned for later and once we hit that it'll be smooth sailing. But for now, updates will be slow, as I refuse to post any "filler" chapters with poor quality writing in them. I'll try and update the best I can for now, and hopefully things will speed up eventually.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

 **A fair warning: This story is rated T for a reason. There won't be any explicit sexual content, but there will be slightly mature themes and situations. Nothing too crazy. And really nothing much in this chapter, but I figured I may as well put this little warning up sooner than later.**

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Most people don't think about sleeping on couches as being something that you're either good or bad at. But it is. And Red was indeed bad at it. He woke up at 4 a.m. with a kink in his neck and murder on his mind. He could've spent the night in his own bed back in Pallet, and he could've slept in until it was afternoon, but nope. He was in an unfamiliar city, laying on a cheap couch that belonged to his childhood friend. And it was all her fault.

Groggily, he got up off of the couch and stumbled over to the kitchen, which was open to the living room with a counter top dividing them. He decided to see what kind of food Leaf kept around, and for her sake she'd better have something good. The refrigerator was the logical place to start, and he opened it feeling hopeful about its contents. That hope was met with disappointment. Eggs. Milk. Butter. Salad. A random jar of pickles. Alcohol. There really wasn't much else in there.

The freezer wasn't much better. Leaf had a lot of ice on hand. And some leftovers she'd frozen, though who knew how old those were. He didn't trust them. However, there was a stray box of popsicles in the very back, so he happily retrieved one. He couldn't tell what flavor was in the package though. The only thing he could do was take a chance and open it and hope to Mew that it wasn't banana flavored. It wasn't. It was lime, which was acceptable.

As he worked on his popsicle, he continued his search. Maybe the cupboards would be more promising. He opened the first set of doors and found nothing but dishes. The second set of cupboards held all of Leaf's pots and pans. There was only one set of doors left. He crossed his fingers and flung them open. There was a spice rack, a box of whole wheat crackers, and packages of Ramen noodles on one side. The other side was filled with countless bottles of alcohol, lined up like soldiers at attention, ready to follow Leaf's every command. Red was shocked. Why did she have all of these?

"Snooping, are we?"

Red spun around and saw Leaf watching him. He had used both hands to open the cupboard doors, and the popsicle was still wedged in his mouth. It had melted on the edges, and green juice began to trickle over his lip and down his chin. He felt like such an idiot. Quickly, he pulled the treat out of his mouth and wiped his sleeve over his face. Leaf rolled her eyes and walked past him.

"I forgot I even had those," she said, opening the freezer and pulling one out for herself. She got cherry. Red pouted to himself. Cherry was his favorite.

"Why don't you have very much food?" Red asked.

"There were other places I visited before Pallet. I've been gone for almost a week, so I didn't bother to stock up before I left. I wouldn't touch the milk in the fridge if I were you. Probably expired even before I left."

As she began to suck on her popsicle, Red found himself becoming increasingly uncomfortable, and he made the excuse of wanting to take a shower to get away from her.

Leaf's bathroom was very cutesy, and it smelled of roses and citrus. It had a clean, white tile floor, and everything else had a green color scheme. The wallpaper had a cute leaf pattern printed on it, and to top it all off, her toothbrush holder and soap dish were shaped like a Jigglypuff and Clefairy respectively.

Red finished his shower in record time, feeling awkward in the feminine setting. He was just about to get dressed when he realized that he hadn't brought any deodorant with him.

"Really Red?" he groaned to himself. What was he going to do? It was the middle of summer and Leaf was surely going to be dragging him all over the city today. He didn't want to smell like a walking cloud of B.O. She'd never let him hear the end of it.

On the shelf beside the mirror, Red noticed Leaf's deodorant sitting amongst its contents. Summer Berry scent. Did he dare use it?

He didn't have a choice. Swiftly, he grabbed the deodorant off of the shelf and smeared it on, closing it quickly and placing it back where he'd found it. There. She'd never know he'd used it.

After he got dressed, Red returned to the living room and found Leaf waiting beside the door.

"I haven't had to wait to use the bathroom in a long time," she said with a laugh. "As annoying as it is, it's kind of nice too. It reminds me of the summers when Silver would visit Mom and I."

Red thought back to those summers as well. Silver was Leaf's half brother. They shared the same father, but came from different mothers. Leaf's parents had gone through an ugly divorce that she couldn't even remember, and her dad had remarried shortly after. Silver was born a year later, and then their dad up and left Silver's mom as well. The two women ended up becoming close friends, bonding over their hatred for the man, and Silver's mom would let him visit during the summer to spend time with his half sister. At first, he'd been cold towards Leaf, but over the years the two of them became nearly inseparable, though Red still couldn't understand their relationship. For the most part, they just insulted each other. But somehow, you could feel the love behind the mudslinging.

While Leaf was in the shower, he decided to get his morning prayer out of the way. He rested on his knees in Leaf's living room and prayed to Mew, thanking it for all that it had done for him and the world. It was customary for worshippers of Mew to pray every morning, and even though Red wasn't overly devoted to his religion, he did like to keep the practices. It made him feel better somehow.

"You still do that, huh?"

Red finished his prayer and turned his head to look at Leaf. Her hair was wet, and she was wearing a green bathrobe. She looked... different like that. Almost sexy. Almost.

"Yeah, I do," he answered, "What do Arceus followers do?"

"We don't pray. Unless we want to. Or unless we feel that Arceus is telling us to. Followers of Arceus try to communicate with it through the way we feel in our hearts. We believe that those feelings come from Arceus within us, resonating with our spirits, and we decide what feels right to us and what feels wrong to us."

"Sounds like an excuse to not be accountable for your actions."

"It's better than walking through life blind, never thinking about anything but keeping rustic traditions that are so old nobody can remember where they derive from."

"Stop talking like that."

"Like what?" she asked, running a comb through her wet hair.

"Like you're so intelligent. I'm just as smart as you are."

"Oh, I know that," she said with a smile, "If I didn't think you were smart, then I would never talk about religion with you in the first place. I'd just say, 'Hey Red, let's go get some breakfast,' and that would be our morning conversation. Trust me. I'm only being a pompous little bitch because I know you can handle it."

"Well then... that's different I suppose," Red conceded, though he still didn't really see the need for it. He rose up from the floor and sat on her couch, which had become his fifteen or so square feet of territory within her territory.

"I'm going to finish getting ready, and then what do you say we get ourselves some Lumiose Galettes for breakfast? Sound good?" she asked.

"What's a galette?" he asked.

"Aha. Lesson one: foreign food!" she said excitedly. "You'll just have to wait and see!" With that, she dashed into her bedroom, leaving Red to roll his eyes. She had way too much energy for it being so early in the morning.

"Oh by the way," Leaf said, sticking her head out of the bedroom, "Don't ever use my deodorant again."

"I... I didn't use your deodorant!" Red protested, knowing that his face was covered in guilt.

"Red... I found a hair..." she said.

"Umm... maybe it's yours?" he suggested meekly. His response was met with a thick book being chucked at his head. He ducked just in time and then turned his head back and forth between Leaf and her weapon.

"That," he said, pointing at the object, "could have hurt!"

"That was my intention," she said bluntly, once again disappearing into her bedroom.

Red stared after her. Crazy woman. He'd be lucky if he survived the day, let alone the entire week.

Once he calmed down, his curiosity took over, and he quietly approached the book that was laying on the floor. _The Complete Works of William Shakespeare_. Interesting. So Leaf was a closet romantic with a taste for tragedy. Who knew? Red himself was neutral towards Shakespeare. Too much drama. Too much unrealistic romance. He placed the book on Leaf's coffee table and sat on the couch while he waited for her.

It took her nearly forty-five minutes to get ready, and the moment she stepped out of her bedroom Red was very relieved, as he had begun to convince himself that time had stopped.

"You ready?" Leaf asked, grabbing her purse.

"You're not going to drive again, are you?" Red inquired nervously.

"No. We'll walk today. Why? Was there something wrong with my driving?"

"You ran some red lights -"

"Pink! They were pink lights!" Leaf interjected, "Every good driver knows that yellow doesn't mean slow down, it means hurry your ass up before the light changes!"

"How are you not dead?"

"I'm just lucky I guess," Leaf said with a wink, "Now come on! Let's go get some breakfast, and then we'll do some sight-seeing!" With that, she turned and headed out the door, and Red followed her, resigned to his fate.

"I only hope that I'm just as lucky if I'm going to be hanging around you all week."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'll admit... this Lumiose Galette is pretty fantastic," Red said as he and Leaf walked along the city streets. The pastry was much like a pie crust that was filled with egg, ham, and cheese, which Red found to be a delightful twist on the breakfast sandwiches he was accustomed to.

"Glad you like it," Leaf said. So... now we've introduced you to some foreign food. What's next on the agenda?"

"Like I would know."

"Point taken. Let me think..." For a while, they continued to walk down the busy streets in the center of the city. Even though it was early in the morning, the streets were still crowded with what felt like all of the people in the world. Red was glad that cars were restricted to the outer circle of the city, and they only had foot traffic to deal with. The streets were made out of beautiful bricks consisting of multiple shades of brown and gray. He was fascinated that something so rustic looking could exist in a city that was so modern and full of life.

"I suppose this is as good a place to start as any," Leaf said. They had reached the very center of the city. Red recognized the building that stood before them. He'd seen it in the skyline when he had looked off of Leaf's balcony.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"This is the Lumiose City Gym," Leaf answered.

" _That's_ a gym?" Red asked in disbelief. All of the gyms back home looked more or less the same on the outside. But _this_... this was so extravagant and original.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Leaf said in awe, "I remember the first time I traveled here, back when I was collecting Kalos gym badges... this city amazed me. I never thought I'd actually live here though. But Silver has his heart set on becoming champion, and I'm going to see his dream through to the end. He's challenged every other champion and failed... he feels like this is his last chance, and I wanted to be here for him this time. Plus... I've grown pretty fond of the place by now. After he's challenged Diantha... I'll probably stay here I think."

Red's heart felt warmed by Leaf's devotion to her half brother. The girl had so many sides to her... just like a jewel. Red couldn't even think of a personality trait that Leaf had never exhibited at some point in her life. And he knew that all of those traits were still melded together within her. She was full of possibilities and unpredictability. That made her both fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

The two of them set off from the gym and headed down a street called Vernal Avenue. It was lined by various shops on both sides, and Red stared at the variety of businesses with awe.

"Even Goldenrod City doesn't have this many different stores," he said. He looked ahead at one of the buildings where a snobby looking rich woman was leaving, holding a miserable looking dog pokémon in her arms. "What the hell is that?" he asked Leaf.

"Oh. That's a pokémon called Furfrou. There in that building, you can get your Furfrou groomed. They cut their fur into all kinds of crazy designs. It's very popular with the elitists around here."

"I prefer the way Daisy grooms pokémon back home," Red said, "She grooms every kind of pokémon, doesn't make them look ridiculous, and it makes the pokémon happy unlike that poor thing we just saw being carried off to certain doom."

"Oh, I agree completely," Leaf assured him, "You see, this city has a pretty big wealth divide. There are lots of people who are rich, lots of people who are poor, and not an abundance of people in-between. I frown upon the actions of the wealthy people here. They're too caught up in spending money just to do a bunch of stupid things like groom their Furfrou and make self-promotional videos."

"Self-promotional videos?" Red asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of becoming like the new business card around here. People make short videos about themselves and then other people can see them. It's really weird."

"If I made a video of myself, it would be epic!" Red said, "Me and Pikachu would look so badass that everyone would want to come challenge me!"

"The way you battled me the other day? Trust me, Red. The last thing you want is a flood of challengers. Because right now, you'd be pretty easy to dethrone."

"Red could feel his eyes burning. In thirteen years of being champion, no one had ever played him down so much.

Leaf was walking a little ways ahead of him, and maybe it was Mew who responded to Red's silent wish that something would happen to put her in her place. Suddenly, the breeze that had been cooling them gently all morning picked up into a strong gust, blowing Leaf's raspberry mini skirt up and over her posterior. Red looked away, but not before catching an eyeful of what he thought was surely the most gorgeous bottom he'd ever seen. It was round and toned and lightly tanned, only half covered by Leaf's black bikini style panties. The girl shrieked in embarrassment and pulled her skirt down violently, flushing profusely and turning to face Red. He stared back at her, blushing just as much, if not more than her.

"I... I can't believe you and Arceus knows who else just saw my... " she trailed off in embarrassment.

"If it makes you feel better... I didn't see it for long," Red offered, "And... what I did see was pretty fantastic." His words were met with sharp pain on his cheek. Oh boy, had she slapped him hard!

"Pervert," she muttered, stomping away from him in a huff.

"It was supposed to be a compliment!" Red insisted, running after her. He followed her for nearly half an hour, begging for her forgiveness before she finally started speaking to him again. By then, they'd reached a different part of the city.

"Oh, look, Red!" she said excitedly.

"What? What is it?" he asked, looking around.

"I completely forgot that the festival was this week!" Red then noticed a sign pointing down one of the avenues.

"Come on! Let's check it out!" Leaf said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. She seemed to have forgotten that she was mad at him, and he was relieved. However, he couldn't get the image of her nearly naked lower half out of his head.

She pulled him along through the thick crowd of people, and his eyes were met with so much activity that it was somewhat overwhelming. All along the sides of the avenue, different booths were set up, and in the middle were several rides. There was a merry-go-round with different pokémon for children to ride on, a kiddy train with a circular track, and one of those rides with the swings that spin around.

"I hope you aren't planning on taking me on any of those kids' rides!" Red said jokingly.

"Well, I doubt you'd fit in the train, Mr. Pudgy," Leaf said, poking him in the stomach.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Red asked. He wasn't fat!

"You have a bit of softness on your middle," Leaf said bluntly, "But don't worry, it's cute!"

Red blushed with embarrassment. Why was this girl so infuriating? And yet he was also blushing because she'd called him cute.

"We could ride the swings though. Come on Red, it'll be so fun!"

"Fine," he sighed in defeat. Leaf smiled triumphantly and pulled him on down the avenue. They got in line for the swings and paid for two tickets. It didn't take too long for the current ride to end, and then they were allowed through the gate to grab their swings. Leaf insisted that she ride on one of the green swings. Red rolled his eyes and sat on a blue one next to her, buckling the little seatbelt and kicking his feet back and forth.

"Play along," Leaf whispered to him.

"What?"

"You'll see." Leaf nodded her head towards a little boy who was climbing into one of the swings in front of them. Red didn't understand what Leaf wanted. While the ride attendant began to explain the safety precautions, Leaf turned to Red and began to talk to him casually.

"I'm sure glad we aren't sitting on one of the yellow swings," Leaf said, "I heard that they've been having trouble with those ones today." Red looked in front of them and noticed that the little boy was sitting on a yellow swing. He suddenly realized what Leaf wanted to do, and while part of him found it cruel, a larger part of him was enticed by the thought that it would be totally hilarious.

"That's right!" he said, trying to sound concerned, "I heard that a yellow swing fell off of this ride three times just today!"

They could now see the little boy in front of them squirming nervously on his swing. They'd caught his attention for sure.

"I heard that a kid even had to go to the hospital because of it," Leaf said.

The little boy was now trying to unhook the seatbelt on his swing, but to no avail. Red knew what he was going to say next, but a part of him hesitated, wondering if it would be taking it too far.

"I heard he didn't make it," he said gravely. Just then the swings on the ride began to lift up off of the ground and spin around, and the child in front of them began to scream bloody murder. Red and Leaf laughed hysterically.

When the ride came to its end, Red and Leaf made a run for it while the poor kid bawled his eyes out and was ushered back to his mother by the ride attendant. They probably figured it was a typical case of a kid wanting to ride the swings and then chickening out at the last second. Once they'd gotten some distance away, Red and Leaf burst into laughter again, laughing until there were tears in their eyes.

"That part about the kid dying was so perfect," Leaf said, wiping away tears, "I can't believe you took it that far!"

"Neither can I," Red admitted, "Oh, Leaf... are we bad people?"

"I think we might be," she said, finally calming herself down. "Well... it's getting pretty close to lunch time. What do you say you buy me a hamburger?"

"Why do I have to pay?" Red asked, but Leaf ignored him and began walking off to the nearest food stand, leaving him with no choice but to follow her.

"I suppose I owe it to her after my stupid comment about her butt earlier," Red sighed dejectedly. Oh well. At least being a Champion made it pretty hard to burn a hole in his pocket.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The day had gone by surprisingly fast, and Red was beginning to feel exhausted in spite of the fact that he was rather enjoying himself. The sky was beginning to grow dark and the city lights were turning on, and he was hoping that Leaf would be ready to call it a night soon. He noticed that she kept pulling out her Pokégear and glancing at it, and he wondered if she was waiting on some important call or message. Just as he was about to ask her about it, her Pokégear began to ring.

"Hey Lyra!" she said happily, "Did Silver get what I asked him to get?" There was a pause as she listened for the girl's response. "That's even better than what I asked for! Okay, we'll head over there now. See you in a few." Leaf hung up and Red felt his stomach become uneasy. Leaf had a look of mischief about her that he didn't like.

"Get ready to put a big checkmark on your list of life experiences yet to be had, Red!" she said with a grin.

"What do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"Oh you'll see," Leaf said darkly before bursting into laughter. Red gulped and followed her along the streets as they headed to their next destination, which he assumed was Silver and Lyra's apartment. He felt as though every muscle in his body was tense. Why did Leaf have to turn such a delightful day into a stressful one? He just knew that she had something awful planned for him. She was like storm clouds that suddenly appear in the midst of a picnic.

"Here's their building," she said.

"How can you even tell?" Red asked, "It looks just like your building. And every other building in this city almost."

"You get used to it," she answered with a shrug. Red shrugged as well and followed her inside. They climbed up a few sets of stairs before arriving at what Leaf said was Lyra and Silver's apartment. She rang the doorbell and did an excited little dance in anticipation. Red's stomach clenched with fear. They waited for over a minute, but nobody answered the door. Leaf tapped her foot impatiently and began to jam her finger into the doorbell button repeatedly, surely torturing anybody who was unfortunate enough to be inside.

Suddenly, the door flew open and a rather pissed looking Silver stood before them.

"Why in the hell would you do that?!" he seethed, "If you would have waited two more seconds I would have answered the door!"

"You were two seconds too slow," Leaf said, walking past him into the apartment.

"Impatient little -"

Red cleared his throat.

"Hey, Silver," he said meekly. In all honesty, he was nervous about seeing the red-haired young man again. The last time they'd seen each other was when they'd battled eleven years ago for the title of Champion. It had been close too. Back then, Silver had been devastated by the loss. Red just hoped that there weren't any hard feelings that Silver was still harboring.

"Hey, Red," Silver greeted, "Good to see you again. I wasn't sure that you still existed."

"I'm alive and kicking," Red assured him, "Though I'm not kicking butts quite as much as I used to."

"So I've heard," Silver chuckled, glancing back at Leaf who had begun talking to Lyra excitedly. Red felt an indignant spark flare up in his eyes. Had Leaf been talking to Silver about how "weak" he'd become? What gave her the right to do that?

"She's always hard on the people she loves," Silver said.

"Uhh... Leaf and I aren't..." Red started to explain.

"I know. She said as much. But I'm not so sure I believe it. Come on in, Red. You can't stay in the hallway all night."

Red was glad that Silver had dropped the subject. He entered the apartment, and the two men joined the two women in the small living room.

Red felt that there was something to be said about suddenly seeing someone after thirteen years. Silver had become a man with broad shoulders and a masculine air. His eyes had always been intimidating, but now he had the stature to back it up, making him seem truly fierce. He was far more relaxed than the last time Red had seen him, yet he could tell that the same determination and strength burned in the young man's eyes. Thirteen years ago, he'd been a youth on a mission to find power and respect and purpose. Now, he seemed to have settled down into his training and was far more focused on his goals.

Lyra had changed as well. Red was surprised to see that she was still wearing her hair in pigtails, but on the other hand he wasn't surprised at all. Looking her over, he could see that while she'd become an attractive woman, she still radiated with that same childish glow she'd always had. He was sure that no matter how old she got, Lyra would always look ten years younger than she really was. Whether or not her personality had changed he had yet to see. Both her and Silver had gone from being children to adults in the blink of an eye for him, and the sensation he felt at the realization of it gave him chills.

"Good to see you again, Red!" Lyra said cheerily, shaking his hand. He smiled at her warmly. Lyra was somebody that you just couldn't help but like. She was so friendly and innocent, or at least, that's how she appeared. If she was married to Silver, then there had to be a dark side to her.

"Good to see you too," he said, "Are you still a trainer, Lyra? I know Silver is, but Leaf hasn't mentioned much about you."

"Of course she hasn't," Lyra said, nudging Leaf with her elbow, "She's probably been too busy talking about herself!"

"Hey!" Leaf said in protest, "That's not entirely true!"

"Anyways, to answer your question, Red... No, I'm no longer a pokémon trainer. I still have my pokémon with me of course, but I've realized that I owe it to myself to work at something I enjoy and am actually good at."

Red considered her words. Lyra had never been a bad trainer. She was good enough to challenge the League after all. But she had always lacked the discipline and dedication that it took to rise to the very top. He remembered his battle with her for the title of Champion as well. She had shown up just before Silver, and she had only managed to defeat four of his pokémon. Better than a lot of trainers, but it would be considered falling short of really putting up a good fight.

"I've actually become a reporter here in Lumiose City," Lyra said happily, "I investigate all of the biggest scoops around the city and I'm considered the ace reporter of Lumiose Press!"

"That's great!" Red complimented her.

"Alright, alright, enough of this introductory banter!" Leaf said, "Let's get to the whole reason why we're here!"

"You never stop in just to say 'hey,' do you?" Silver said with a roll of his eyes. Leaf ignored him and continued to speak.

"It has come to my attention that our darling Red here is as innocent as a Deerling," she stated, "and therefore, it is our duty to introduce him to the realities of life. Tonight, we're going to help him get intoxicated."

"Oh god..." Red said in horror.

"Wait wait wait..." Lyra said, interrupting Leaf's speech, "He's never been drunk before?" The three of them all turned to Red, waiting for some sort of conformation.

"It's true," he admitted, "I've drank before, but I've never been more than a little buzzed because I'm a level-headed sort of person -" He was cut off by Leaf shoving a shot glass into his hand.

"Drink it," she said, looking him dead in the eyes.

"I don't really think -" he started to say, trying to hand the glass back to her. She pushed it back towards him and gave him a look that told him the subject was nonnegotiable.

"You will drink," she said, "and you will keep drinking until you forget that you are drinking." She poured a shot glass for herself and gulped it down, probably attempting to show him how easy it was. He'd had a few shots in his life, and he was glad that at least he wouldn't look like an idiot coughing and sputtering at his first taste of strong alcohol. Blue had been given the pleasure of that moment long ago.

Giving in, he downed the shot and gave Leaf a proud look. She didn't seem impressed, and she refilled his glass promptly.

"Don't get too cocky," she warned him, "Your trip to the abyss has just begun."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Numbness. Blurry senses at best. Red could feel how far out of control he had spun, and it was the single most terrifying and liberating experience of his life. He'd never felt this way before. So detached from reality and free. And when he woke up tomorrow, he knew he'd remember none of it.

These moments, these places in time, are like memories captured in the lens of a camera. And if this moment could be painted into a photograph, then it would be a brittle frame filled with shades of dark red and rippling, chaotic brush strokes. The farther back you stand, the more sense the picture would make, but up close, you would see the truth. The nonsense behind the order. Dark red. And red was his favorite color.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **I know it's been over three months since I last updated. Sorry for such a long wait, everybody. Life has been busy and all sorts of complicated.**

 **As for references in this chapter, I don't think I hid any here. If I did I've forgotten them, even after reading through it just now.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and any feedback is appreciated! If anybody has and questions, suggestions, etc, you can leave them in a review or shoot me a PM as always.**

 **Thanks again! Hopefully you'll be seeing a new chapter faster than last time. Especially since a certain someone is going to kill me when he gets home later today and reads this... If he could, I'm sure he'd tie me to a chair and force me to write chapter 4 right away XD**


	4. Chapter 4: Blurred Lines

**Hello, all. Sorry for the wait on this chapter. Things are still going slowly with this story, and that's just the way it's got to be right now. Thanks to everyone who reads though! I appreciate all of your reviews and PM's and your support and criticism!**

 **Also, to answer a question from a guest review, no, there won't be any more of the gameverse characters in this story. Pretty much everyone has been introduced at this point.**

 **Disclaimer: All together now! "I don't own Pok** **émon!"**

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh my god... If I thought I was in hell before... then I don't know what this is..." Red woke up with the feeling of a hatchet planted in his skull. Which one of his companions had tried to murder him in his sleep? He glanced around the room and saw that Lyra was splayed out on the recliner. Her hair had come out of her hair ties in places and her mouth had fallen open. There was an unimaginably large puddle of drool spread across the fabric next to her face. Silver was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Leaf. Well, one thing was for sure. If they felt as awful as he did, then they couldn't have gotten far.

Something stirred at Red's feet. He was lying on the couch, covered in a large blanket. Someone else must be underneath it. Tentatively, he peeled the covers back and found that Leaf was tangled up in his legs. Her cheek was resting on his inner thigh, and her face was only about an inch away from his crotch. In fact, she was so close to it that he could feel her breath warming it.

' _What the hell am I going to do?!_ he thought, _If she wakes up and we're still in this position, she's going to kill me, or humiliate me, or some combination of the two! What if she assumes this means she gave me head?! Wait... what if she DID? Oh my god, what happened here last night?!'_

"Wow. I assumed you had a thing for my sister, but that's a bit forward, don't you think?" Red looked up to see Silver smirking down at him. His cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Ha ha, very funny!" Red hissed. Just help me get out of here!"

"No need to. She drank way too much last night. You could flame her to hell with your Charizard and she still wouldn't come to. Just slide out from under her. I've got some water in the kitchen." With that, he walked away calmly, and Red shook his head in frustration. He turned back to Leaf, and slowly but surely, he was able to slide his hips out from underneath her. He stumbled his way to the kitchen and plunked himself down into a chair at the table. Silver handed him a glass of water and some over the counter pain pills.

"Thanks," Red muttered, "are you in as much pain as I am?"

"No. I only had two drinks. Champions don't have time for hangovers. Uhh... no offense, Red," he added as he noticed the champion that was glaring at him.

"Only two? Umm... how many did I have?"

"Too many. And it's all my sister's fault. You know, Red, you could do a hell of a lot better than her. Run. Get out while you still can."

"Leaf and I aren't... you know..." he said, trailing off while he felt a blush rise to his face.

"Oh really? I know you said that yesterday, but after last night I thought maybe -"

"What happened last night?!" Red interrupted in a panic.

"You don't remember, do you?" Silver sighed.

"I don't, but please tell me!" Red begged. He needed to know why he'd woken up with Leaf's head in his lap. He was assuming the worst, and he waited anxiously for Silver's response.

"She was drunk off her ass and was all over you, man. And you didn't seem to mind, that's for sure. You guys kissed. A lot. It was kind of gross, really. You could do with a classier woman."

"Silver, what else happened?" Red asked, trying to urge him on with his account of last night.

"Nothing. You passed out and then she passed out on top of you." Red breathed a sigh of relief. So things hadn't gone as far as he'd feared. But still... he'd kissed Leaf. Sloppily. The thought made him shift in his chair uncomfortably.

"Like I said, you need to start fishing from a better pond. I know my sister is hot. It's not like I haven't noticed. But you and her are totally incompatible. She's wild and adventurous, and you're laid back and stable. Date someone classier. Contest stars. Coordinators. They're all classy women. Better yet, date somebody famous and get yourself on the covers of magazines like you used to."

Red rolled his eyes before giving Silver a look of disbelief.

"First of all, I couldn't be happier that the tabloids are completely uninterested in me these days. Secondly, have you seen your wife this morning? She looks _super_ classy with that puddle of drool next to her head. And third of all, why were you _watching_ Leaf and I make out last night?"

"Never mind Lyra. She's a good lady. I know she looks like she just got dragged behind a Ponyta, but... she's still cute as hell, you know? And I wasn't really watching you guys. I just never take my eyes off of Lyra when she's drunk. I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to her. And she happened to pass out in the living room where you two were getting it on. Kinda hard not to notice."

Red blushed in embarrassment. He still couldn't believe that he'd made out with Leaf. At the same time, he was surprised by what Silver had just said about Lyra. He still thought she was attractive even when she was passed out and looked a mess. And he'd stayed up all night and protected her...

"I didn't take you for the type of person to sit up all night taking care of anybody," Red said.

"That's not the type of person I am. You know it, Red. But... when you find that woman who makes you feel and think and do things you wouldn't normally do... you know she's something special. That's why I married her."

Red contemplated Silver's words for a moment. Last night, Leaf had made him do many things he wouldn't normally do... did that mean that she was something special? No... Silver wasn't talking about things like being drunk. He was talking about good things. Leaf had only made him do bad things that he wouldn't normally do.

"Listen... Don't tell Leaf what happened," Red requested, thinking back to the kissing they'd done.

"I won't. She doesn't need to know about it. She's got enough troubles as is."

"What do you mean?" Red asked. Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud groan from the living room.

"Sweet Arceus... My body feels like it's the sandbag from Super Smash Brothers!" Leaf cried.

"And whose fault is that?" Silver yelled back.

"Fuck!" Leaf grunted, "Don't yell you asshole! My head has a heartbeat right now!" Silver chuckled lowly.

"Get's her every time," he whispered and winked at Red.

Moments later, Leaf came stumbling into the kitchen, holding her head in her hands.

"Why do you let me drink so much?" Leaf asked Silver as he handed her a glass of water.

"Because you're older than me," he answered, "and maybe deep down I'm hoping that you'll get tired of the hangovers and stop drinking so much."

"Don't get your hopes up," Leaf muttered, taking a sip of her water. Her eyes locked with Red's. "What are you looking at?"

"N - Nothing!" he stammered, looking away. Had he really been staring at her? He didn't know if he could look at her the same knowing that they'd made out. He didn't know if he could stop looking at her at all. And then there was another thing. It had only been two and a half days since Leaf had shown up in his bathroom back home. Then, she had seemed really mature and sophisticated. But now that they'd come to the city, Leaf seemed to be a mixture of an intelligent, proper woman and a wild child. If this was the kind of growing up she wanted him to do, then he didn't want to do it. Red didn't want to be the kind of person who went out and trashed himself every night just for fun.

"So what did you think of last night, Red?" Leaf asked. Oh boy. How was he supposed to answer that?

"I don't remember much about it," he said, "I remember when the alcohol started affecting me... but you kept shoving drinks in my hand and I probably just passed out."

"That's the problem with drinking in a small group," Leaf said, "Nothing terribly exciting ever happens. Tonight, I'll take you to a club."

"Oh no you won't," Silver grunted, "No more drinking while Red is here. The poor guy's been traumatized enough."

"Thank you," Red said as Leaf sulked in her chair.

"You're both no fun," she pouted, taking another sip of water.

"If this is your idea of fun, then I'm perfectly happy to be a total loser," Red said sardonically.

"Don't you ever get tired of being Mr. Lonely Jeans?" she asked.

Red didn't answer, taking another sip of water. He wasn't about to tell her how he felt about his nonexistent sex life, let alone admit that his sex life was nonexistent in the first place. He wasn't sure he knew the answer himself anyway.

"Leave him alone, Leaf," Silver said, sipping a cup of coffee. Red blushed with embarrassment. He felt like the outcast on the playground being defended by the one popular kid who wasn't a total asshole. Only in this case, his defender was younger than him, and the least likely to take pity on anyone. When had Silver become so nurturing? Okay, maybe nurturing wasn't quite the right word, but the young man had definitely done some growing up since Red had last seen him. And it made him feel like he'd fallen behind somehow.

Leaf had changed. Silver had changed. Even Lyra had changed. What if Leaf really was right? Had he truly wasted the past thirteen years? Was he really not as strong as he had once been? And if he didn't do something about it... would he just keep getting weaker?

Red was beginning to think. He'd been avoiding thinking about himself for quite some time now. But maybe, after thirteen years, it was finally time to look at his life and examine the consequences he'd earned himself. Maybe it was time to wake up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you like Elvis?"

"What?" Red asked.

"Elvis. You know, that guy who was kind of extremely famous in the 50s and 60s? Rock 'N' Roll singer? The King?"

"I know who Elvis is. Why are you asking me if I like him?"

"Because I like him."

"And...?"

"I don't know. I think whether or not you like Elvis says a lot about a person." Leaf crossed her arms behind her head and looked up at the ceiling. They'd left Silver and Lyra's place a while ago, and had gone back to her apartment. The air conditioning felt so good that they hadn't worked up the desire to go back outside into the heat of the day yet, and they both still had headaches anyways.

Red had been awfully quiet so far today. Leaf was a little worried that she'd pushed him too hard last night, but at the same time she just wanted to shake his shoulders and tell him to man up. She couldn't remember a damn thing about last night, but she was sure that he'd had a good time. At least, the last thing that she could remember was Red talking to her with a slurred and overconfident voice about his past glory as champion. It was hilarious. Every single sentence he spoke would begin with, "Let me tell you something, Leaf..." and then he would proceed to recount his past victories.

Leaf smiled to herself. Deep down Red did care about his title as champion. He did take pride in his achievements. At least that was something.

"So if I tell you that I'm not crazy about Elvis, what does that say about me?" Red inquired.

"That you suck," Leaf deadpanned. She sat up slowly and then rose to her feet, "Let's roll."

"Where are we going?" Red asked, reaching for his hat.

"You were complaining that I had no food yesterday. Therefore, we must grocery shop."

"Can I stay he-"

"No."

"But I don't really-"

"No. You're coming with me, Red."

"Fine," Red sighed in defeat. Leaf grabbed her purse and practically danced out the door in victory. They left her apartment building and Leaf began leading the way to the store.

"You see, Red, I have a mission this week. A mission to open your beady little eyes to this vast world of diversity and adventure!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Leaf? I traveled across two regions! It's not like I've spent my life cowering behind the walls of my house!"

"You've been lounging around for thirteen years, Red. You're rustier than the bottom of a sunken ship."

"Watch out or I'll give you tetanus."

"Shut up. Now, I also have another mission to accomplish. A sub-mission, if you will."

"And that is?"

"To turn you into a man." Red pulled the waistband of his pants forward and pretended to look down inside.

"I think you succeeded then."

"Enough joking! This is a serious matter! And I'll make a man out of you yet, Red Ketchum!"

"If you start singing the Disney song, I swear I'll get a sex change just to spite you."

"Don't commit to things you aren't really willing to go through with," Leaf said with a wink. It wasn't much longer before they reached their destination.

"Mother of Mew..." Red whispered to himself as they walked through the door.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Leaf asked with a smirk. She knew that Red had seen large department stores like the ones in Celadon and Goldenrod City, but this place made those stores look like little antique shops. This was a true superstore, stocked with everything you could possibly imagine.

"You have a job," Leaf began to explain, "There is one thing that every man must be willing to do for his woman. Now, are you a man, Red?"

"Damn right I am!" he said, still looking around at the bombardment of items before him. He didn't notice the evil smirk forming on Leaf's face.

"I need you to go buy a box of tampons."

"WHAT?" She had his full attention now. Excellent.

"I need you to go buy me a box of tampons. Someday, when you have yourself a girlfriend, she might ask you to stop by the store on your way home and get her a box of tampons. What are you going to do then, Red? Tell her you can't because you're too embarrassed? See how that goes for you when you come home to an angry girlfriend whose hormones are out of whack and you wouldn't even bring her a simple box of tampons."

"Leaf. There is nothing simple about this. This is a very complex, complicated matter." Leaf giggled to herself in her head. Red was practically sweating bullets right now.

"While you're back there in the personal care section, grab yourself some deodorant," she reminded him as she grabbed a shopping kart, "I don't want to find any more hairs on mine."

"Leaf. You can't be serious. This is the worst thing you could do to me."

"Would you rather buy a pregnancy test instead?" she asked.

"Do you need one of those too?" Leaf silenced him with a glare.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! But in all seriousness, Leaf, if you think I'm going to walk up to some old grandma cashier with a box of tampons, you're even crazier than I thought you were last night!"

"You're doing this, Red! We're going to turn you into a man! And afterwards, I'll buy you a candy bar."

"You think you can bribe me with that? You're insane!"

"This is your moment, Red! Now go!" With that, Leaf pushed him in the direction he needed to go, leaving him to accomplish his task. She knew he would. After all, he was terrible at saying 'no.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tampons... tampons... I'm buying tampons of all things!" Red muttered to himself. He had stalled for time by grabbing his deodorant first, and also by stopping to stare in awe at what seemed like a thousand different types of toothpaste. But now he couldn't put it off any longer. There were two ways he could handle this. He could either let his humiliation show and buy the tampons in shame, or he could act like buying tampons was the coolest thing in the world and possibly retain his dignity. He decided to go with the latter.

With pure confidence, he began to search the isles for the colorful boxes he'd seen in the bathroom cabinet most of his life. It didn't take long to find them, and then he was plagued with a new problem. Which ones did Leaf want? What brand? What size?

Red chuckled to himself as he scanned the display. This could be his chance to get back at Leaf a little bit. Making up his mind, he grabbed a box labeled 'super tampons: new larger than largest size.' This was sure to insult her. Now, the final step - actually buying the damn things.

Keeping up his confident facade, Red approached the cash registers as coolly as possible. He placed the box of tampons and his deodorant up on the counter, and realized that he hadn't even looked to see what the cashier was like. It was a man. An elderly man. Red felt his cheeks begin to flush, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Hey, how's it going?" he asked a little too loudly.

"Are these for your girlfriend?" the old man asked as he rang up the items.

"No!" Red said automatically. Leaf wasn't his girlfriend! A moment later he realized his mistake. The man was staring at him like he was crazy. He needed to think of something fast!

"They're for my wife!" Red said, trying to play things cool.

"Ah, I see," the cashier said, looking a bit relieved. Red paid for the tampons as quickly as possible and then got the hell out of there. Inside his head, he was calling himself an idiot over and over again.

He went back into the store and found Leaf in the grocery section.

"I did it!" he proclaimed proudly, dropping the shopping bag into the front of the kart. Leaf looked inside and Red waited for her to yell at him for buying the largest size. Instead, her eyes lit up like diamonds.

"You got the big ones! Nice!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Red said in disbelief, "I didn't... I was trying to... won't they hurt you if you use those!? Or stretch you out or something?"

Leaf rolled her eyes and opened the box, pulling out one of the tampons. Red was surprised to see that they really weren't all that big.

"This is nothing compared to a penis," Leaf said bluntly, "So I would hope they don't stretch me out or hurt me. You understand now? Or is your penis smaller than this? Because that would explain why you thought these were so big."

"I didn't know their actual size!" Red argued, "I don't know these things! Do you think I've ever bought those before?"

"Then you should really study up before you make your moves, Red!" Leaf laughed hysterically as they headed back towards the front. Damn her! As Leaf searched for a checkout lane with a decently short line, Red realized that the elderly gentleman from before had no line at all and was waving them over. Oh no.

The transaction went normally. Leaf made small talk with the old man as he rung up her items and she paid for them. As he handed Leaf the receipt, Red thought that they actually might make it out of the store without the man saying anything about earlier.

"You and your husband have a good day," he said to Leaf, causing her to laugh.

"Oh he's not my husband," she chuckled, "he's just a friend." The man's eyes grew wide. Oh, what he must have been thinking!

"Let's go, Leaf, Red said, practically dragging her away. Great. Just great. An old man thought he was some kind of playboy running around on his wife!

"Now it's time for your final manly task!" Leaf announced.

"And what's that?" Red didn't know if he could take any more of this.

"Carrying my shopping bags!"

"I feel like I should have seen that coming." What a relief! She wasn't going to put him through any more embarrassment today.

Leaf smiled up at him. Even after everything she had just put him through, for some reason, Red didn't mind carrying her bags. In fact, he was more than happy to do it. The feeling surprised him, and he began to wonder if he really did enjoy the company of Leaf Green. And if he did, he was sure that officially made him a sadist.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'll admit it, Leaf... you're a pretty good cook," Red stated as he leaned back in his chair. They had returned home after their trip to the grocery store and Leaf had prepared a meal of lasagna and salad for them. She ducked her head shyly at Red's comment, which surprised him. It wasn't like her to be humble.

"Thank you," she said, "If nothing else, you can at least enjoy the food while you're here."

"This trip hasn't been all bad," Red assured her.

"You don't have to lie. Well, you go ahead and go to bed, Red. I'm taking you somewhere really awesome tomorrow. That's why I kept today so simple. Well, that and the hangover."

"You go ahead and get some rest," Red said, "I can take care of the dishes. You cooked, so I'll clean."

"If you're sure..."

"I'm positive. Hey, all those years at home weren't totally wasted! I can do the dishes!" Red said with a wink. Leaf smiled and shook her head, but left him to it.

It didn't take long at all for Red to finish the dishes, and he even went the extra mile and wiped down the table and countertop. He also covered the lasagna dish with plastic wrap and placed it in the refrigerator. When he was finished, he peaked into Leaf's bedroom to make sure she was fast asleep.

With the coast clear, Red adjusted his hat nervously. He hadn't volunteered to do the dishes just because he was a nice guy. He had plans for tonight. Big plans. As quietly as possible, he grabbed his backpack and snuck out the door.

The streets of Lumiose had transformed from their cheerful daytime appearance to their sinful night counterpart. He could sense the darkness coming from the red light district, and he made a point to avoid going anywhere near it. He wasn't going there tonight. He had one thing on his mind.

As Red traveled, he was certain that thieves and murderers lurked in every alleyway. He found himself holding his breath as he passed each one, then breathing a sigh of relief when nobody jumped out at him. He could practically hear Leaf teasing him about his fear, even though she wasn't with him.

He was most relieved when he actually arrived at the place he was going to. Thank Mew it still seemed to be open at this hour.

Lumiose City Gym. In all of its beauty and grander, it stood before him like a pillar of hope. Ever since Leaf had shown it to him, he couldn't get his mind off of it. If he could earn a badge from this gym, she would have to admit that he still had skill. She'd see how wrong she was, and let him go on with living his life.

Lifting his chin up, Red confidently strode through the sliding doors of the gym. Inside the lobby, he spotted a yellow haired young man who was leaning over a workbench, countless gadgets and tools spread before him. He was at work with a tiny screwdriver, twisting a tiny screw into some kind of electrical chip.

"Excuse me," Red asked, "Is the leader of this gym available for a challenge?" The yellow haired man turned towards him and fiddled with his glasses. He appeared to be about eighteen years old.

"That would be me," he said, "The name's Clemont,, and yes, I'm prepared for a challenge right now, though it's awfully late. I'm used to just working on my inventions until it's time to close up for the night. You've made it in time though, so I won't refuse."

"Perfect," Red said. Come tomorrow morning, he'd put Leaf in her place.

"The gym normally closes in about fifteen minutes," Clemont said as he opened the doors to the arena, "Is a one on one match alright with you?"

"Fine by me," Red answered as they walked onto the field.

"You look familiar by the way. Have you challenged me before?"

"No, no. This is the first time," Red answered. He had hoped that this guy wouldn't recognize him, but he knew it was risky given that he was a champion. He was thankful when Clemont didn't press any further, even though he suspected that the man knew something was up.

They both took their sides of the field and stared each other down. Red could feel his every nerve on edge. It had been a long time since he'd felt this tense before a battle. Now what did he remember about his gym battle days? He needed to observe his opponent and try to analyze every bit of information he could find. He already knew this was a gym that specialized in electric types. He'd read the sign that first day Leaf brought him here. Now it was time to read into the battlefield.

Dirt field. Highly unusual for an electric type gym leader to use. Red might not know much about any of the new species of pokémon, but he did know that there had been an abundance of dual type pokémon discovered in the past few years. Maybe Clemont had one of those. Better keep his guard up.

As for his choice of pokémon, Red had already ruled out Charizard and Snorlax since they didn't want to battle correctly at the moment. Lapras and Blastoise would be out of the question with their obvious type disadvantage. Venusaur was the logical decision, but Red felt a sense of loyalty to his closest partner. If they were going to rise from the ashes, then they were going to do it together. Electricity versus electricity.

"Pikachu, it's time!" he yelled as he released his very first pokémon from its pokéball. If they couldn't handle this, then they couldn't handle anything.

Clemont smirked from across the field.

"Heliolisk, let's go!" he called. Red immediately began observing the pokémon that appeared before him. It was a lizard of sorts with a sandy yellow body and a black head and neck. It wasn't a large pokémon, but he could tell that it was fully evolved, and probably a tough opponent. He knew that Clemont had something up his sleeve with this pokémon and this field, and Red was pretty sure that he had figured it out. Time to test his theory.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" he commanded, starting the battle. Pikachu released the attack, and it hit Heliolisk head on. Red was surprised when the pokémon seemed to take damage. He'd suspected that it was part ground type, and therefore would take no damage.

"Heliolisk, use Sandstorm!" Clemont called. Well, damn. It might not be part ground type, but it knew ground type moves! Dirt from the field began blowing around, and Red pulled out a pair of go-goggles and quickly strapped them to his face. ' _Totally as sexy as Godot_ ,' he thought to himself.

"Alright, Pikachu, this is where the fun starts! I need you to focus on Heliolisk and wait!"

"Pika!" his partner responded. Red could hardly see what was going on himself, but he knew that he needed to be Pikachu's eyes right now. Heliolisk was moving through the sandstorm with great speed, and he watched intently for it to attack.

"Use Bulldoze!" Clement yelled.

"Pikachu, it's coming from the left!" Red warned. In a split second, Pikachu kicked its legs to the left and blocked the move with an Iron Tail attack, "Great Job!" Red praised it.

"Nice move!" Clemont complimented, "But we won't let that happen again! Use Dig, Heliolisk!" The pokémon disappeared into the ground.

"Same deal, Pikachu. Just try and focus on where it is," Red said calmly. They waited for Heliolisk to appear, but it was hard for Red to spot dirt moving amidst the dirt in the air. Luckily, a movement caught his eye.

"Behind you!" Pikachu raised its Iron Tail just in time to block the attack. Red knew they couldn't hold out like this forever.

"I'm through with playing defense!" he grunted, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" His pokémon released the attack, and Heliolisk took the damage, "Now use Iron Tail!" Pikachu landed another direct hit. Red began to feel uneasy. Why wasn't Clemont trying to dodge his attacks?

"Heliolisk, use Parabolic Charge!" Red watched as Pikachu was hit with electricity, and Heliolisk glowed slightly with energy.

"Heliolisk heals itself a bit every time it uses Parabolic Charge," Clemont explained. A recovery move. Great.

At this point in the battle, the sandstorm had ended, and Clemont didn't seem interested in reviving it. He'd given up on the sneak attack strategy. Red knew that the rest of the battle would be offense versus offense.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!" Red ordered.

"Heliolisk, use Mud Slap to block it!" Heliolisk scraped dirt from the field up in front of it, causing the Thunderbolt to scatter in all directions.

"Way to adopt my strategy," Red mused.

"Why thank you," Clemont smirked, "Use Parabolic Charge again!" Once again, Heliolisk released the weak electric attack on Pikachu. Red gritted his teeth. At this rate, Pikachu would never cause enough damage to defeat Heliolisk, and its own HP was being chipped away slowly. Time to bring in the big guns.

"Volt Tackle, Pikachu!" Red called. Pikachu let out a cry and began charging towards Heliolisk. It's body was engulfed in white hot electricity, and it crashed into its enemy with brute force. Red nodded his head. That had caused some major damage. Of course, Pikachu took some damage as well, but it should be worth it in the long run of the battle.

"Heliolisk, use Razor Wind!" Clemont yelled. Pikachu couldn't avoid the attack, and was hit by several sharp gusts of wind.

"Hang in there!" Red encouraged his partner. Both pokémon had less than half their HP at this point. He knew that he needed to end things quickly before Heliolisk could recover any more of its HP.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle once more!" he said. Pikachu began charging again, and Red hoped with all his heart that this would be the finishing blow.

"Heliolisk, use Razor Wind again, and then dig in your heals and use Bulldoze!" Clemont shouted.

"No!" Red yelled. This was what Clemont had wanted all along. He watched in horror as Pikachu was slowed down by the Razor Wind, and then collided with Heliolisk only to push it back a few feet and then get sent flying into the air by the built up force of Bulldoze. His partner landed in front of him and didn't get back up.

"No," he repeated softly. The battle was over. He'd fallen for his opponent's trap. A simple gym leader had defeated him.

All at once, Red felt like he had lost everything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Now, this is very important. My boyfriend and I are having a disagreement. We need you all to help us settle this disagreement. There is a poll up on my profile. The both of us would very much appreciate it if you readers would all vote on it. I can promise you that the subject matter is extremely interesting, and that you all have an important opinion to share. I can't disclose the personal opinions of my boyfriend and I until the poll is done, as it could cause some biased votes, but once a verdict is reached, I'll be happy to share that information!**

 **There's really only one reference in this chapter for anyone who is interested in spotting it. Well, you could say there's two I guess, but I really gave the first one away, so I don't know if I should bother counting it or not.**

 **As always, I'd really appreciate any reviews, follows, or favorites! I love hearing from you guys, and your comments make me so happy! You're all awesome :) And I hope this chapter wasn't too awful. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get it out to you guys :(**


	5. Chapter 5: I'm Not the One

**Hello everybody. Sorry for my insanely long absence, but I'm sure you can all understand that while summer is supposed to be relaxing, it tends to stay surprisingly busy. I do apologize for the wait though.**

 **I put the poll results at the end of this chapter, since I'm sure most of you don't care about it. (Most of you are probably thinking, "What poll?)" Sigh... it really HAS been long since I updated. I feel pretty bad about it. I'll also edit the poll so that it will show the results to you guys, though that's pretty pointless since I'm just going to tell you. Whatever. I'll shut up now.**

 **WARNING: This chapter contains mildly suggestive themes. I have decided it is definitely light enough to remain rated T, but for those who don't want to read such content, please proceed with caution or don't read. Thank you.**

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

There was an envelope on the kitchen table. An envelope addressed to him. Red reached for it tentatively, noting the official League logo in the corner. He rarely received physical mail from the League, and this letter was making him curious. As he opened the envelope, he experienced a lurching feeling in the pit of his stomach. The paper inside was pink, and it was accompanied by a very official looking letter.

 _Dear Mr. Ketchum,_

 _It has come to our attention over the years that the Kanto/Johto League rarely receives challengers anymore. As you should be aware, this is bad for the economical state of both regions. The League Treasurer has made a statement that our funds are beginning to drop to a fifty-five year low. This greatly concerns us, and if it was made public knowledge, it would greatly concern the citizens of Kanto and Johto as well._

 _Three days ago, the League counsel took a vote on several issues concerning both regions. One of the issues was whether or not we should replace the current champion. Many tactics for drawing in new challengers were discussed, and this was by far the most controversial and critical topic. Though it is an uncommon occurrence, the Official League Rules do state that the current champion can be released from the position if a sufficient reason is provided, and if the council takes a vote with a majority vote of 80% being in favor of replacing the champion. Of course, you should already be aware of this, as all champions are required to read the Official League Rule Book._

 _The reason why your termination was discussed is because you are no longer a public figure. Your popularity has dropped considerably since you allow former champion Lance to handle most of the government affairs for you. It has also been noticed that your training has become sloppy, if not completely nonexistent. Lastly, you have removed yourself from most social media and social events. Between letting your reputation and social status fade into oblivion, and your minimal effort to be involved in your duties as Champion, many young trainers do not even know who you are. Overall, you have practically become obsolete as a champion._

 _In the vote three days ago, 90% of the counsel elected to remove you from your position. It is with much regret that I inform you that your League License has been revoked. The League has already began its search for a new champion who will attract more challengers. We would greatly appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time. If you do wish to challenge the League's decision, you have 24 hours to hire an attorney and make an appeal._

 _Thank you._

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Red woke up in a panic. Where was he? Where was that letter? Breathing heavily, Red slowly realized that it had just been a dream. It was all a bad dream. But when he remembered that he had lost his gym battle the night before, he felt his heart cave in all over again. How had that happened? How had he become so careless? And if he couldn't win a simple gym battle, how on earth had he managed to stay Champion for 13 years? Maybe that nightmare was more than a mere dream. With his luck, it was probably an omen.

After his loss, he had taken Pikachu to the Pokémon Center to be healed and then walked home in silence. It had been a long time since his very first pokémon had been defeated and in so much pain like that. He could hardly forgive himself for letting it happen.

It was funny. He'd been afraid of the dark city when walking to the gym, but on his way back he hadn't been scared at all. It was as though his loss had numbed his emotions. All of his thoughts and feelings revolved around the disgust he felt towards himself. He didn't even feel like the same person.

Quietly, Red made his way to the bathroom for his morning routine. Dawn of the third day. Better start preparing for the moon to crash. Or more likely, better start preparing for Leaf to torture him more.

As he cleaned himself, Red began to wonder what he would do with his life if he were to lose his position as champion. Having been Champion for so long, he was pretty much set for life financially. Battling was all he'd ever done, and it was all he'd ever wanted to do. Somewhere along the line he'd lost his pride.

What if he had no future after this? It was inevitable that he wouldn't be Champion forever. If he didn't get fired or defeated, he'd likely retire by age forty. Then what? Take care of his mother until she passed away? And after that? Red suddenly had an image in his head of himself sitting in front of the television eating frozen pizza alone.

He started thinking about his friends. In twenty years Leaf could be doing anything. Probably still traveling, or at least doing something exciting. Gary would no doubt be a god. He'd either still be running his gym, become a full fledged pokémon professor, some type of government official or a combination of all three. He'd be making the cover of Pokémon Monthly for the rest of his life. Even Lyra and Silver had built a future for themselves, striving to further their careers and make a life together. Even in failure they'd have each other. If Red failed, he'd end up alone.

That was one thing that really bothered him. He was terrible when it came to relationships. He just couldn't manage to keep any girls interested, let alone get them interested in the first place. He had never been outgoing. Or charismatic. And he couldn't bring himself to use his money to get a relationship. What kind of life would that be? He wanted somebody who could learn him until she knew him as well as he knew himself. Somebody who wanted to cuddle close to him at night instead of just hanging onto his arm in public. He wanted somebody who could love him. Somebody he could love back. Somebody who he could look in the eye and know that she understood him from every angle, in every lighting, and of every shade.

And deep down, Red knew he would likely never posses such a future. With his fame, he had written in stone his fate of a wealthy, lonely life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leaf sat at her kitchen table quietly. Red was in the shower. She still hadn't gotten used to the sounds of another person coexisting in her space. One thing she did like was that her cereal didn't sound so loud now. Before Red had come, eating cereal in total silence had been the most disturbing sound in the world. Sometimes she had seriously wondered if her neighbors could hear her.

After a while, Red emerged from the bathroom. He had dark circles under his eyes and he seemed to be in a different world.

"You seem a bit off today, Red. Anything the matter? Homesick? Kidney stones? Depressed about starting to realize how right I was?"

"If I had kidney stones, you'd know," Red said dryly.

"Point taken. But seriously, what's the matter?"

"Nothing. Nothing's the matter."

Leaf sipped her coffee and stared him down. She knew that he'd sneaked out last night. Where he'd gone, she didn't know, but she had a hunch. There was only one place in this city that Red Ketchum would sneak off to during the sketchy hours of the night. The Lumiose Gym. And from the looks of it, his visit hadn't gone as planned.

"Well, whatever it is, you're in luck. I'm taking you somewhere today that you're going to love."

"Do we have to go?"

"Yes," Leaf said tersely, setting her coffee mug down a little more forcefully than intended. _Seriously, Red_? she thought. _Get over yourself_.

"So where are we going then?" Red asked.

"It's a surprise."

"Fan-fucking-tastic. I always love your surprises. They never end up getting me screwed over at all."

"Alright, that's it," Leaf said, standing to her feet, "I don't know what your problem is today, but you'd better get yourself together before I kick you apart."

"You've already done that," Red said dismissively, "Leaf... do you ever feel like you're chasing after something pointless?"

"Sure. We all have doubts," Leaf said. Her gaze softened and she suddenly felt the urge to comfort Red. She'd never seen him so down. Come to think of it, she'd never heard him drop the F-bomb before either.

"I don't mean doubts," Red corrected her.

"Then what do you mean?" Leaf asked gently.

"I don't know," Red sighed. With that, he got up and disappeared into the bathroom again. Leaf stared after him quietly. Her plan was beginning to work, but why was she feeling guilty? She'd known that when Red came to see the light it would hurt him at first, but why was it so hard to watch now that it was happening? She sat down and sipped her coffee yet again. She was going to have to keep a close eye on him. Change can be good, but it can also be dangerous. All Red needed was somebody to nudge him along the right paths. He'd be okay. Of course Red would be okay. In spite of everything she could think of to criticize about him, he was still the most level headed person she'd ever known.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So we're going outside of Lumiose City," Red mused to himself. He was glad. It did his heart good to see lush forests and green plains beneath them instead of blinding lights and mazes of streets. Leaf rode ahead of him on her Altaria. He had no clue where they were going, but he'd learned by now that he couldn't trust Leaf no matter how many times she promised him he'd enjoy today. Surely it would just be another attempt to drag him down into the dirt and teach him how "pathetic" he was. He came to the conclusion that no sane person would stand for this, and therefore he must not be mentally stable. Throw that onto the growing pile of things he'd realized were wrong with him.

After about an hour of flying, Red realized that Leaf had barely said a word to him during their entire flight. That was odd. Too odd to ignore. He signaled Charizard to pull up next to Altaria, and Leaf turned to look at him.

"Don't tell me you want to race again?" she inquired jokingly.

"No, no," Red assured her, "I got enough of that the last time. I'm just wondering what's up with you. You're so quiet."

"Oh, I'm just thinking about what you said earlier."

"What did I say earlier?"

"You asked if I ever feel like I'm chasing something pointless."

"Ah. That."

"I don't think I'm chasing something pointless. I don't think I'm chasing anything at all, really. At least, not at this moment in my life."

"That's funny. With all this lecture I've been getting from you about having goals, you don't have any yourself, do you?"

"Nope. But I don't feel like I'm sitting still either. I feel like I'm doing things and I just don't know where it's going. I train. I do research over at Sycamore's lab. I keep up with my social life. It's okay to remain stagnant as long as you keep everything thriving I suppose. Unlike some people." She ended her train of thought with a hard stare at Red. He turned away from her and muttered to himself. He hated that she was right. Even if Leaf turned out to be wrong about everything else she was trying to force onto him, he had to admit that she was right about his training. He truly had become a lazy champion. Beneath him, Charizard let out a snort as if to agree with Leaf. Red only felt slightly betrayed.

"So, what did you mean? Earlier, when you asked me that question?" she asked. Red thought to himself for a moment. What did he mean? He wanted to explain it as best as he could.

"I guess I meant... not so much that I feel like I'm chasing something pointless, but rather that chasing after what I want in the first place would be pointless."

"Why's that?"

"Because the kind of life I want is unattainable for me now. And I wish I had known that 13 years ago."

"What kind of life is it that you want so badly?"

"That's personal. No offense, but no matter how 'deep' of a conversation we have, you're the last person I want to bare my soul to."

"I can live with that."

Red scoffed at her silently. Like hell. On the inside she was absolutely dying to know what kind of life he found ideal. He decided not to press her though. He was just grateful that she wasn't using her little tricks to get him to open up.

"So where are we going today? Are we almost there?" Red asked. His legs and thighs were beginning to feel cramped.

"Down there. That's where we're going."

Red looked down. He hadn't even realized that their surroundings had changed. Below them where there had been forests and fields was now the coast of the region, where land met sea. Or, where sea met land depending on how you looked at it.

"Were going to the ocean again?" Red asked, thinking about their Sealeo Island adventure a few days prior.

"Yes, but this time it's purely recreational," Leaf assured him, "No being attacked by wild pokémon - I promise." She led the way as they began their descent. Their target seemed to be a small beach. Red was curious as to why this was supposed to be particularly exciting for him. It was just a beach after all, and he'd seen plenty of those on his journey. Nothing terribly new or exciting about that. They landed in an area where there seemed to be no other people. The sky was lightly overcast with clouds, and the sea made soothing sounds that were music to Red's ears.

"This is Azure Bay," Leaf explained, "It's a hot spot for tourists, but this stretch of beach isn't well know. I found it and it kind of became my place."

"Why did you bring me here?" Red asked, taking it all in.

"Because I know you love water."

Red closed his eyes and listened to the waves. So soothing. So rythmic.

"Remember when we were kids, and you'd always go out on the shore of Pallet town and stare at the sea when you were angry?

"I didn't know you'd noticed. It made me feel better. Calmer. Like the waves were stroking my hair in the most intimate, spiritual way possible. It was such a different sound compared to the crunch of dead grass under my feet and leaves slapping against each other in the breeze. Water can make one thousand different sounds. It has choices. Options. I liked that. I liked how versatile it was."

Leaf took in his words silently. She thought maybe she finally understood something about Red that she hadn't seen before.

"You do love battling, don't you, Red?" she asked.

"Yeah," he breathed quietly, "I really do."

"You never thought you had any other destiny. No other skills. You knew from the very beginning that you wanted to become a pokémon master, and you did. But the reason why you stopped trying to achieve anything else is because you didn't believe there was anything more that you could do. And... you got comfortable with where you were at."

"That's pretty much it," Red shrugged, "I'm not like you and Gary. I'm introverted. I'm not highly ambitious. And I don't think that's something I can change."

"I agree," Leaf said, surprising him. "You can't change who you are. But you can be a better version of yourself. I want to see the Red Ketchum who hasn't given up on himself. I want to see the Red Ketchum who's strong and happy and on top of his game. You deserve that. Everyone does."

Red gazed out at the ocean. Leaf's words touched him, but he couldn't help feeling conflicted inside. If that was truly what she wanted for him, then why had she spent so much time these past few days demeaning him and his life? He didn't like the idea of somebody tearing him down and then building him back up into the person they wanted him to be. And if that was Leaf's intention, he was going to stop her in her tracks real soon.

"I always liked water too, you know," she said, breaking his train of thought, "I always loved the ocean for the way it sweeps away the sand castles that children work so hard to build and sweeps in death and destruction in return. The dead fish pokémon, floating on the waves like bloated, rotting dreams. And I always liked to watch things sink. The way the water swallows things with an ominous gulp... and then pulls it down with its invisible chains. Bondage... Life feels just like that to me."

"Even with all of the traveling and all of the excitement?" Red asked.

"Yeah. Even with all of that, I can't help but feel tied down in some ways. As much of a free spirit as I am... I never got the chance to start over completely. I thought about changing my name and everything when I set out on these journeys, but... I couldn't do it."

"What is it you're running from?" Red wanted to know. He wanted to know what Silver had been talking about when he said Leaf had enough problems already.

"A thousand pictures worth a thousand words each could never explain it," she answered.

After that, they were silent. The two of them walked along the shore, taking in the sights and smells and sounds of the sea, nourishing their senses with the unfamiliarity of it all. Red thought that maybe the sea could be a metaphor for what Leaf was attempting to show him. The sea was unfamiliar to him in the sense that he didn't get to experience it very often anymore, but every time he did, it stimulated his body and mind. Maybe doing crazy things once in a while could be good for a person. Maybe in that sense, Leaf was right. But a life of adventure without inhibitions could never work. If Red visited the sea every day, he would grow sick of it.

"Thank you for bringing me here today, Leaf," he said, "I enjoyed having some time alone with you to talk things out and think. And it's nice not having to worry about what underhanded scheme you're plotting against me today."

"Any time, Red. Any time," Leaf said coolly, ignoring his insult.

Red tilted his head up to the sky. He was going to try something tonight. He was going to see how he would fare if he just let go of himself once in a while. Even though he was determined to stay true to himself, his loss at the gym was still weighing heavily on his mind. He wasn't feeling optimistic about his future. And if he couldn't drown out the noise of his failure for just a few moments, he felt that he would surely disintegrate into a pile of broken dreams that might never get put back together.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leaf heard movement in the living room. Red must still be awake. That or he just needed to use the bathroom. The familiar sound of her apartment door clicking shut surprised her. Was he going to the gym _again_? No. This couldn't happen. Leaf wanted Red to see his life for what it was, but she didn't want him to start obsessing. Also, two nights in a row now he had slipped away in the middle of the night and left her door unlocked behind him. Of course he didn't have the key, but that was no excuse for leaving her open to theft and rape in a busy city. She was going to follow him this time. Follow him and give him a piece of her mind.

Quickly, she slipped a pair of shorts and a tank top onto her body. As she walked out the door she grabbed her shoes and black jacket and in a flail of arms and legs tried to put them on as she locked her door. Her hands combed through her messy hair as she jogged to the elevators. She was able to see which one was being used, and assumed Red was inside it. She got into the other one and pressed the button for the first floor. On the ride down she straightened out her clothes as she tapped her foot impatiently. Hopefully he wouldn't be too far ahead to follow.

The elevator finally stopped and slid open, and Leaf ran out the door of her building, scanning the streets wildly. She could see Red in the distance, but he wasn't headed towards the gym. He was headed for... the red light district? No way. Leaf carefully began to tail him, eager to find out what he was up to. Red was a nervous wreck when it came to this kind of stuff. What was he thinking going there alone?

It didn't take too long for them to arrive at the edge of the sketchiest part of the city. This was the "safer" part of the red light district. The real shady business all took place further in. Red stopped walking and seemed to look around for a few moments. Leaf sighed quietly. He was utterly lost. He'd gotten where he wanted to go, but he didn't have a damn clue what to do now that he was here. Stupid boy.

Eventually, Red made his move. He walked towards a safe looking bar with all the confidence of a newly hatched pokémon in its first battle. Leaf was familiar with the bar. She snickered to herself lightly. It was a gay bar. Boy was Red in for a surprise. She didn't even bother to follow him because she knew he'd be back out in about ten seconds.

Just as she predicted, Red ran out of the bar in a flash, followed by a man who had probably made a pass at him. The man shrugged as Red ran off, then returned to his fun. Leaf was laughing hysterically, and she had to bite her hand to keep from blowing her cover. She was already SO glad she had followed Red tonight. Leaf watched as he slowly regained his composure. He looked like a Pidgey who'd had all of its feathers ruffled.

Leaf stopped laughing when she saw where he was headed next though. Red seemed determined not to make the same mistake twice, and had opted to go for what was clearly a raunchy strip club. She felt nervous for him as he walked inside, but she knew she wouldn't miss this for the world. She waited until he'd been inside for a minute, and then she followed behind. She'd have to lay low if she was going to be in such close proximity with him though.

Once inside, she found a dim corner of the club where she would likely go unnoticed. From there, she could see Red in plain sight, leaning against a wall awkwardly. He looked so out of place.

There were several girls dancing on the stage, and Leaf watched as Red gazed at them with mixed emotions. He didn't have the creepy leer in his eyes that some of the men did, nor did he have the delight of the other men. His face seemed to show a mixture of lust and disdain. He couldn't help seeing the eroticism in the sight before him, but at the same time he felt wrong about the whole thing.

Leaf watched Red order a drink and she felt slightly proud of him. However, the speed at which he downed it took her by surprise. Red obviously had an agenda tonight.

She couldn't help herself. She had to take advantage of this situation. Carefully, she called a waitress over to her table and ordered a drink. Then she gave a second request.

"I'd like to buy a lap dance for that man over there," she explained lowly, "Don't tell him who bought it."

"Did you want him in the VIP room?" the waitress asked as she counted Leaf's money.

"No. Leave him out here where I can watch." The waitress gave her a flirty wink and then disappeared. Now all Leaf had to do was sit back and wait.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Red felt like the atmosphere was suffocating him. He couldn't even believe what he was doing. This wasn't him. This wasn't Red Ketchum. Yet here he was, hanging out in a cheap strip joint with a strong drink in his hand. It actually wasn't his first drink of the night. Before he'd left Leaf's apartment, he'd raided her alcohol cupboard and downed what little was left in the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. He'd felt slightly buzzed on his way here, but now that he'd downed two more shots he was beginning to feel warm and fuzzy. By the end of the night, he hoped to be as smashed as he'd gotten in Lyra and Silver's apartment.

Red saw a waitress coming his way. Good. He was ready for his third drink. As she came closer though, Red realized that it wasn't a waitress. It was one of the girls he'd seen on stage earlier. And she had stopped right in front of him with a playful look on her face.

 _Oh_ _Mew, what is happening?_ he thought.

"Heythere, sweetie," the girl said, "It's your lucky day. Somebody bought you a dance."

"Somebody bought me a _what?"_ Red asked as the girl grabbed his arm and led him over to a chair. He was definitely not ready for this level of debauchery. This was like skipping levels in Super Mario Bros. and realizing that you'd made a horrible mistake.

"Relax, honey... it'll be okay!" the girl giggled at his nervousness. She pushed down onto his shoulders gently until he was sitting in the chair, and she kept her hands on his shoulders while she swayed back and forth sultrily. Red couldn't take his eyes off of the half naked breasts hanging mere inches from his face. He wanted to run, but this girl had him trapped, both physically and mentally. As shallow as he felt right now, Red had to admit to himself that he was curious about where this would all lead.

Before he knew it, the girl had turned around and seated herself on his lap, grinding herself against him. Red was suddenly very glad that the club was dim and crowded, because he knew his face was turning the color of his name. Even if he wasn't so nervous, he still wouldn't want to be caught dead doing this right now. Out of curiosity, he glanced at the people around him. Some were definitely watching them, but most were still looking up at the stage where the other girls were. Suddenly, his eyes locked on a slightly familiar face. Red couldn't believe it. His mind couldn't even process what was happening right now. It was the elderly man from the grocery store that he'd met the other day, and he was staring at him disapprovingly! Red turned his face away and pretended to focus on the hot girl in his lap. That old man had already thought he was having an affair, and now he probably thought Red was some kind of perverted and careless husband who spent his nights drinking and adulterating to his heart's content. Could this night get any worse? As soon as this woman got off of him, he was going to make a run for it!

Unfortunately, the girl didn't let him go any time soon. She continued to entertain him, and even asked the waitress to bring him another drink. This continued until Red had consumed so much alcohol that he was no longer completely aware of what he was doing. All he knew was that there was a hot girl on top of him who felt warm and soft, and he had handfuls of her body in his hands. He was living in that dark red portrait again. And he was loving and hating every second of it. Somewhere in the background though, he could sense that something had changed. There was a serene blue figure amidst the chaos, and it was running from the picture. Running from the madness. And behind her, the world burned.

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 **Now, about my poll... thank you very much to the 16 people who voted on it. I expected like 6, so that was awesome! The results were actually surprisingly evened out, but luckily when it comes to the two sides chosen by me and my boyfriend, there is a winner and a loser. Before I get to that though, I'd like to clear something up. A few of you seemed to think that he and I literally got into a knock down drag out fight over this. No. This was a friendly fight. Not a fight, fight! Actually, the whole thing started because my boyfriend likes to kiss Zapdos's... tail feathers(?), and I said I don't like Zapdos because it's fat (which was just something random I said and it doesn't make sense anyways, so of course he said Articuno is fatter (and Moltres, but he said Articuno is the fattest), and I said, "Jordan, I'm putting up a poll next chapter," and he said "fine, you do that," and here we are. Erhem. So without further ado, I'm... disappointed but satisfied that Moltres and Articuno tied for first place with 6 votes each, and Zapdos came in at 4 votes. Granted, I'm not really disappointed, because I knew there was no way in hell that I would win this thing, so I'm actually really pleased with the 4 votes I did get! And now... here it is... You were right, Jordan (sort of), and I'll never make fun of your true lover, Zapdos, ever again. Best apology ever. Am I right? ;)**

 **Oh, and there was one very wonderful reference in this chapter. So anybody who caught it is awesome! Thanks again to all my readers! It's good to be back!**


	6. Chapter 6: Boulevard of Broken Dreams

**Hey everybody! So like... this took longer than it was supposed to. But! It's done now, and this is kind of the turning point in the story, so things really should be smoother sailing from this point onward. I feel like I've been saying that for a while :/ I blame my lateness on school. And on the fact that SOMEONE had to give me a HARD TIME when I posted the last chapter, and I felt COMPELLED to make sure this one was better. Yeah. You know who you are.**

 **Alright, let's get this show on the road. Light's please.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm glad I don't own Pokémon.**

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Leaf stared at the glowing numbers of her alarm clock. 7:30 a.m. He still wasn't back.

She'd been lying in bed all morning, unable to get herself to move. Watching Red last night had been hard. She hadn't expected things to get so out of hand. And she felt entirely and utterly responsible for all of it. She'd bought him a lap dance thinking it would be funny, but it had been anything but amusing. Leaf knew that the alcohol had played a big part in Red's behavior, but still... she'd been the one who truly introduced him to alcohol. And seeing how corrupt he had become last night made her stomach churn with guilt. It was all her fault.

Another hour came and went, and Leaf was seriously beginning to worry. Images of Red's body lying in a dumpster flashed through her mind, and she decided that it was time to go out looking for him. She never should have left him in the first place, but she'd gotten way to upset last night and she couldn't bear to stay at the club any longer.

Quickly, she dressed herself and ran a brush through her hair before heading out. She had to find him. If she couldn't find him... she'd never forgive herself.

The logical place to start looking was the area around the club where they'd been. With luck, Red would still be nearby. It didn't take too long for Leaf to arrive there, and she saw that there was a closed sign on the door. No big deal. She had expected as much. Maybe Red was nearby though.

Leaf peered down every alleyway as she went from bar to bar. Most of them weren't open so early in the morning, but she went inside the few that were and asked about Red. Nobody had seen him. Now Leaf was worried out of her mind. Anything could've happened to him. He could technically be anywhere in the city. What if he'd gone home with one of the girls from the club? Leaf shuddered at the thought. The image of Red waking up beside a stranger and being completely mortified was almost too much to bear.

Desperately, Leaf continued her search. She released Altaria and asked it to fly above the city and search for Red. Then she went to several restaurants, and checked other places like the pokémon centers and the gym. In spite of her best efforts, Red was nowhere to be found, and nobody claimed to have seen him. There was no news from her Altaria either. Her feet were getting sore, and she was beginning to feel frustrated and scared. There was a pain in the back of her throat as she fought back tears of anxiety. Some of the people who passed by her asked if she was okay, and she asked if they had seen a twenty-three year old man with dark hair and a red and white hat. Still no luck. Red had truly disappeared.

Exhausted, Leaf thought about what her next move should be. She should probably call the police and get the Jenny's involved in the search. Red was technically a missing person after all. She was closer to her apartment than she was to the police station, so Leaf decided to call from there. After all, there was still a chance that Red may have come back there while she was searching.

"Oh please, Arceus, let him be here..." she whispered to herself as she rode the elevator up to her apartment. Leaf could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. Red was her responsibility. She had promised his mother that she would take care of him during this visit, and look what had happened. He'd gone to a strip club and gotten bombed, and she'd stupidly left him there out of her own selfishness. Now she couldn't find him. Red's mom would never forgive her as long as she lived.

As she went to unlock the door of her apartment, she sighed in relief. The door wasn't locked. Red must have found the spare key hidden above the door frame and let himself in. Everything was going to be okay.

"Red, are you here?" she asked as she walked through the door. Leaf bit her lower lip. Something didn't feel right...

Suddenly, the door slammed behind her and somebody grabbed her arms, pulling them behind her back. Her natural reaction was to scream, but a hand clamped over her mouth before any sound could escape. What was happening? Who was in her apartment and what were they going to do to her?

"Long time no see, my little flower," a voice whispered in her ear as she struggled against her attacker. She recognized the voice. It was a guy who she'd gone out with a few times in the past, but had broken things off with because she didn't feel chemistry with him. He had also given her a bad vibe, but she never imagined he'd do anything like this.

"You thought you were too good for me, didn't you?" he breathed in her ear, "You slept with me but it was meaningless to you, right? Little slut..."

Leaf muttered against his hand, and he removed it to let her speak.

"We went out like five times. I couldn't have broken your heart too badly. And we agreed that our sleeping together was nothing more than casual sex. Now get the fuck out of my apartment."

"Oh I don't think so. I'm going to stay here until you agree to go out with me again," he said lowly.

"Never! Creep..." Leaf spat.

"Maybe you need some convincing..." her attacker mused, "We can start by reminding you just how great of a lover I am." In one swift movement, he spun her around and crushed his lips against hers. Leaf tried to scream, but all of the sound was absorbed by the mouth engulfing hers. Her protests were met with a sharp slap to her arm followed by him grabbing a fist full of her hair. He put his face very close to hers and met her frightened eyes with his smoldering gaze.

"You will not scream, or you will regret it," he said firmly, "I have my pokémon with me and they will obey all orders to attack you if you misbehave. Understand?"

Leaf nodded vigorously. What else could she do at this point? She was completely helpless, and this man was completely insane.

"Now... let's take you to the bedroom," the man said with a smirk, "You obviously don't remember what a great lover I am... and I'm going to remind you so you'll never forget." Leaf tried to pull away from him, struggling as he dragged her into her bedroom by her hair. Her scalp felt like it was on fire.

The man unceremoniously pushed her onto her bed, and Leaf's heart began to race as he pressed himself on top of her, holding her down against her will. She was terrified, and she felt violated in every sense of the word, but all she could do was struggle underneath him and hope that something would change his mind.

As his hands began to pull at her clothes, Leaf emitted a soft sob of defeat. There was nothing she could do. This was really happening to her, and she was powerless to stop it.

From the corners of her vision, Leaf suddenly saw the room light up, and then darken again. The weight pressing down on her was gone, and then the man was screaming in pain. Quickly, she rose to her feet and examined the scene before her.

"Red," she whispered. There he was, standing in the doorway to her bedroom. Pikachu stood in front of him, sparks crackling on its cheeks. Her attacker was on the ground, moaning in pain. Red's eyes looked scary, and dark.

"Get the hell out of this apartment," Red said coldly, "and don't ever bother Leaf again. If I ever see you around here again I will personally make sure that you are tried for breaking and entering, assault, and attempted rape."

The man glared back at Red, but nevertheless he stumbled to his feet and ran out of the apartment as fast as he could. The air was thick with silence as the threatening vibes dissipated. Leaf stood, shaking slightly, the memory of her attacker's body pressed against hers still fresh in her mind.

"Red... thank you," Leaf said softly as he returned Pikachu to its pokéball, "You... you saved me."

"That I did. Funny, isn't it? Funny that it would be me who saves you?"

"What do you mean?" Leaf asked in confusion.

"You brought me here under the premise that I was pathetic. That I was sheltered and lazy and wasting away . But look what's just happened. You were the one who was helpless. Pathetic."

Tears welled up in Leaf's eyes. She'd spent all morning searching for Red. She'd come home to find herself in a horrifying situation. And now that Red had returned and saved her, he was only making things worse. How could he be so heartless?

Red was staring her down, his eyes cold and unfeeling. He looked away in disgust. All Leaf could do was stand there in shock. After everything she'd been through... how could he make her feel this way?

"I still stand by what I said," she choked out, holding back tears, "You have been wasting your life. You've stagnated into a mediocre trainer."

"Shut up!" Red yelled, "Just shut up, Leaf! Look at this city! It's a terrible place! You think I'm lazy and apathetic? Look at the people surrounding you! This whole city is full of people who go out and drink away their problems every night, and drown out the noise of their depression with meaningless sex and partying! Is that who you want me to be? You think that's going to turn me into a better person?"

"Of course not! I only made you drink so that you could experience what it's like. I never intended for you to become an alcoholic! The only thing I want is for you to become a better trainer. To become motivated again. And to live your life to the fullest. I don't want you to wake up one day and feel like you missed out on all of your opportunities."

"It's none of your damn business," Red breathed, "I never should have listened to you. I never should have come here. My life was just fine before you came barging into it."

Leaf felt her body tense up. She felt defensive and ashamed all at the same time. She couldn't listen to him speak any more.

"You're not the champion you used to be," Leaf said quietly, looking down at the floor. The room filled with silence once again. An uncomfortable silence that seemed to invade and probe at every corner of her mind. She looked up, and an unforgettable image was branded into her memory.

Red was staring back at her. His eyes were glossed over with what seemed like unimaginable pain. He looked defeated, and utterly distraught. The depth of his gaze was entrancing. What was in there? What was inside of the soul hiding behind his crimson eyes?

Without a word, Red turned and left her alone in her bedroom, followed by the sound of her apartment door clicking softly shut.

There was only one thing to do now.

Leaf cried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Red walked along quietly, having gotten used to the sounds of the city's streets and its people. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. And he needed to vent inside his head.

When he was younger, he would go on walks like this. Often he would think about his father, and wonder where he was or if he was even alive. Mostly, he would wonder what it was about life that had made his father decide to leave his mother... and himself, behind.

Maybe his father was like Leaf. Maybe he had been drawn to the unpredictability of travelling. Or maybe the thought of settling down was pure torture to him. Regardless, Red couldn't help but resent him. And as a result, he resented all people who tending to do things on a whim. The reason he had stayed close to home was because he couldn't bear to abandon his mother the way his father had. He didn't want to be a gypsy soul who wandered aimlessly though life. And yet, he somehow had still turned out that way.

Who was he kidding? Leaf was right, in a sense. He had lost his fire for battling. He no longer even took joy in it really. But on the other hand, Leaf was wrong about some things. Red may be apathetic, but he was also a wanderer. Not a wanderer of the land, but a wanderer of the spirit. He floated through life without a care, much as Leaf did. He just did it from the safety of his house. Leaf was a risk taker, a thrill seeker. Red was a seeker of distractions. Whatever could take his mind off of reality, he loved. Literature, video games... they were all his escapes.

But that wasn't fair. Red knew in the back of his mind that he had let his pokémon down. By giving up his will to train and become stronger, he had let them suffer under his apathetic ownership. No wonder they were beginning to stop trying.

Red wanted to get his fire back. There was once a time when battling had been his escape from reality. When he had lived and breathed in a world of strategies and adrenaline. That was where he took his risks. That was where he got his thrills. And Leaf was right. He needed to become that champion again.

But before he could do any of that, he would have to face his biggest challenge yet. It was time to go back and face the consequences of his actions in the past 24 hours. He had to make things right with Leaf, even if she killed him in the process.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Red got back, he was met with a sight that made his heart shrink and flail with guilt. Leaf was sitting in her comfy chair, with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her hair looked a mess, and she was wearing a tiny pair of gray shorts and an old black shirt that fell off of her shoulder. Her eyes were red, and a bottle of wine sat on the end table next to her. It was almost empty. He prayed it hadn't been full when she began.

She didn't look up. Or move at all aside from lifting the wine glass to her mouth to take a sip. He wasn't sure whether or not she even knew he'd come back. Carefully, he crossed the room and pulled up the ottoman and sat down right in front of her. Leaf's eyes didn't meet his. She just stared at her wine.

"Leaf," he said gently, "you have to talk to me... come on now... I'm sorry, okay?"

"You were right."

"What?"

"You were right about everything. You should've stayed in Pallet, where everyone is happy and nothing bad ever happens. Where life is predictable. And safe."

"What are you talking about, Leaf?" Red didn't know where this was coming from. Her sudden shift to placing the blame on herself unsettled him.

"I had dreams, you know, when I left Kanto. I was going to make a great life for myself. Have it all. But let me tell you, Red, this world sucks. This world takes everything away from you. It robs you of your happiness, and your hope. I'm twenty-four years old. I live in this tiny apartment. I work for the strangest man I've ever met. And I'm totally alone. Nobody loves me. Because... I'm an asshole."

"Leaf-" Red started to say, but he was cut off as she continued talking, like an unending avalanche of feelings that had been bottled up just like all of the wine inside of her.

"I wanted to be like Cinderella. I wanted to be like Snow White. I had dreams of being smart, kind, and beautiful, and of meeting a man who would be my prince charming. Of getting married and being in love with the same person for all my life. Maybe have kids, but probably not. Yet all I've had are drunken nights with cheap men who always leave the next morning to find their next kill. I know I sound stupid. I'm only twenty-four. I, supposedly, have many years ahead of me. But I'm tired of waiting. I wished for roses, and I got a handful of dead grass that I couldn't even hold onto because the wind swept it away. And that wind is me." She took another sip of her wine, and her face looked volatile, yet eerily calm.

"Leaf... you are smart, kind and beautiful," Red offered. She shook her head bitterly and then glared to the side, sipping her wine quietly.

"I mean it. You think just because you haven't met someone yet, that means you're stupid, mean, and ugly?"

"Yes," she admitted quietly.

"Well..." Red said softly, "You certainly aren't any of those things. You're... a very special, and very attractive person. In all aspects."

"You and your irony," she muttered. Red felt a small victory as he watched the faintest of smiles flicker across her lips.

"I'm not being ironic," Red said. "Listen... I'm sorry about what happened earlier."

"I'm sorry too," she said quietly. Red felt relief wash over him. This was good. They'd made up, and everything would be okay now.

He realized he'd spoken too soon as Leaf's face returned to its volatile state. She gulped down the rest of her wine angrily, turning away from him again.

"It just... It pisses me off so much, Red!" she spat. "I can't stand the fact that my life is measured by ex boyfriends. When I'm trying to remember how long ago something happened, I figure it out by thinking about who I was dating at that time. Not what year it was or how old I was. How sick is that? What kind of life is that? You're so _lucky_ , Red. You're so lucky that you got to live in peace all these years."

And there it was. Red felt sick to his stomach as the truth came out. If she was secretly jealous of him all this time, then why had she really dragged him to Kalos with her? She was staring at his eyes now, her own orbs hollow with horror.

"It wasn't my idea!" she sobbed. In a single second, Leaf's face erupted and sagged into a molten mess of agony, "It was Blue! He wanted you to get out and see the world! He's the one who thought you had gone soft!"

"And you agreed with him," Red stated softly. Leaf sniffled and shuddered as she desperately tried to calm herself.

"At first," she said, "but as I spent more and more time with you, I realized that... maybe your life wasn't so bad. Maybe your innocence wasn't so wrong. Watching you change so much this week... it's felt like I corrupted you. Like I infected something that was so simple and pure and good."

"Leaf..." Red said gently, "don't think that way. I'm still me... You've been showing me things about myself that I never knew, but I'm still me. You've made me realize... that I can't sit still anymore. I need to reach, to try, to accomplish - I need to set new goals for myself, and not be afraid to expand my horizons a bit."

"That's true, but.. what about the drinking? The aggression? The... pain..." she trailed off and he looked away from her.

"That stuff was already there," he told her, "the drinking just... brought it to the surface. In a way, you're actually helping me deal with some heavy stuff I had repressed. You think I didn't know how apathetic I'd become, Leaf? Of course I knew. I just didn't want to admit it. "

"I saw you," she whispered, "Last night at that club."

Red hung his head in shame and sighed heavily. She'd followed him. She'd seen what he'd done. This wouldn't be easy.

"I thought it might be my last chance to prove myself to you," he admitted. Red watched as a spark of anger flared up into Leaf's eyes.

"You seriously think that would prove you're a man? Having some half naked girl rubbing herself all over you? Please."

"Hey! I didn't pay for that dance and I sure as hell don't know who did! But I know, Leaf. I've always felt that stuff was wrong."

"Then I must have really screwed you up this week. I'm sorry."

"Leaf... please. You brought me here wanting to open up the whole world to me. And you did."

"Don't say that!" Leaf sobbed, "I wanted you to be happy! The last thing I wanted was for you to become anything like me! God, you're worth more than that... Don't become me, Red."

"You're worth more than that too."

"You don't have to say that."

Red looked at her. For the first time he really _looked_ at her. She looked so weak... so vulnerable. Her face was red and splotchy and she was still breathing in uneven gasps and sighs. It was so unlike her to let her guard down like this. And he suddenly felt deep within him the fierce desire to protect her. Alongside that feeling was the desire to make her feel better. To make her feel happy.

"I know I don't have to say it," he stated gently, "but that doesn't mean I can't say it if I want to." Tenderly, he put his hand up to her face and wiped away one of her remaining tears with his knuckle. "Tomorrow night, we're going to go on a date. I'm going to show you how a real man should treat you."

Leaf looked up at him with wide eyes. He knew he'd surprised her. He'd surprised himself too. But he knew deep down that he wanted to do this. More than anything.

"Red, I -" she began to say, but he cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips.

"No. We're going to do this. No if ands or buts. However... I still don't know much about this city. So I do have to ask you to plan our evening out a little bit. I'll plan out some things too of course, but you can pick the restaurant, and anywhere else you would like to go. It's all on me, so don't hold back."

"Okay," Leaf agreed. And finally, a warm smile spread across her face. Red felt like a million pokédollars. Just seeing that smile on her face made him want to smile too.

"It's settled then," he said, "Now, is there anything you'd like to do tonight? It's still light outside."

"Can we just... watch a movie or something?" Leaf asked.

"That would be great."

With that, Leaf went into the kitchen to fix them a snack. Red smiled to himself. It warmed his heart to see the soft glow of happiness on Leaf's tear stained face. It was like seeing a beam of sunshine breaking through the clouds after a storm. And it's when the storms are over that sunlight seems to shine its brightest.

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While Red searched the television channels for a decent movie to watch, Leaf prepared some microwave popcorn for them to snack on. For the first time in three days, Red felt at ease. He peered into the kitchen at Leaf. She obviously wasn't as drunk as he had feared, and he was glad for that.

When Leaf was done making the popcorn, she came and joined him on the couch.

"So what are we watching?" she asked.

"I... actually haven't found anything yet," Red admitted sheepishly. Leaf rolled her eyes and took the tv remote from him. Red didn't mind. It meant he could get first dibs on the popcorn.

"Well, Red..." Leaf said as she flipped through the channels, "it looks like you were right. There really is nothing good on tonight."

"Told you so," Red said through a mouth full of popcorn.

"You know what that means," Leaf said with a smirk. She got up and walked to the television, opening up the cabinet underneath it. Red's jaw dropped. Leaf had been hiding video games from him this whole time.

"What's your game?" she asked.

"You have Smash?" he asked.

"Damn right I have Smash." Leaf slid the disc into her Wii U and handed a controller to Red. Some serious shit was about to go down. Soon enough, they had the game set up.

"Who's your main?" Leaf asked casually.

"I'm not telling you yet," Red said with a smirk.

"Let me guess. It's Pikachu, right?"

"That would be way too cliché. My main is the truest badass of them all!"

"Come on, who is it?" Leaf pressed.

"First I have to see if you're worthy of playing against me and my main," Red explained.

"Challenge accepted!" With that, Leaf selected Rosalina and Red selected Ike. They played several rounds, switching characters in between. Leaf rotated between Rosalina, Peach, and Jigglypuff, while Red rotated between Ike, Mario, and a few other characters. After 30 matches, the kill total was a perfect tie.

"I'm impressed , Leaf," Red said coolly, "but your luck ends here. It's time for my main to shut you down!" Red selected his character and pumped his fist into the air.

"Link?" Leaf asked.

"Not just Link. _Dark_ Link," he corrected her.

"Red, I have a secret."

"What's that, Leaf?"

"I haven't used my main yet either." With a smirk on her face, Leaf selected Lucina.

"Intriguing, my lady," Red said, rubbing his chin. Well, let's see what you can do."

The match went on for a while. They were only playing Stock with two lives, but they were having trouble taking the other down. They were both down to one life with massive damage when Leaf managed to land her finishing blow.

"I DID IT!" she cheered, "You thought you were such a badass but you lost to me and this moment can never be erased from your life!"

"Inconceivable!..." Red muttered, "Leaf! I need you to leave the room for a few minutes!"

"What's the matter, Red?" she teased, "Don't want me to see you cry?"

"Just go!"

"Fine, fine!" she said, rolling her eyes, "I'll get us another snack."

As Leaf disappeared into the kitchen, Red chuckled lowly to himself and got to work. Leaf had no idea what she was in for. This was going to be beautiful. Glorious, even.

"I made nachos!" Leaf announced proudly as she waltzed into the room, "Did you finish crying, or do you need a couple more minutes?"

"I'm fine, madam," Red said before biting into a cheese covered chip, "But we need to play one more round. Just one more, Leaf."

"Fine with me," she said, sitting next to him.

Hardly able to contain himself, Red moved his courser on the screen and switched Custom Characters to "On."

"So that's what you were doing," Leaf said.

"You haven't truly beaten my main until you beat my custom Dark Link," Red explained, "and if you can do that... then you're something special!"

"Alright... let's do this!" Leaf said. She selected her custom Lucina and the battle began. Once again, the two of them matched each other blow for blow until they were down to one life with heavy damage.

"No way am I going to lose," Red said, adrenaline rushing through his body. Just then, a bomb appeared on the field. Leaf grabbed it and tossed it at Red, but he was too slow and unable to dodge it. Link stood no chance. He died instantly.

"HOORAH FOR LEAF!" Leaf exclaimed, jumping off of the couch and doing a happy dance. Red sat in silence with his eye twitching. The bomb. The fucking bomb...

"I DEMAND A REMATCH! No items! Real men play with no items!" he shouted.

"But I'm not a man!" Leaf said, wagging her finger at him cutely.

"You know what I mean!" Oh, I'd love a rematch, Red. But beating you is just so boooring! Let's play something else!"

"No! You can't do this to me! It's bad for my heart!" Red protested.

"Oh, stop acting like you're an old man!" Leaf said as she put a new game into the Wii U. Red sulked on the couch. She was so mean... not giving him a chance to redeem his manhood.

As the night went on, Red had to admit that he was having a good time. Even though Leaf had bested him at Smash - sort of - he found himself laughing and smiling all the same. And of course he got back at her by winning several other video games, which made up for everything.

Glancing over at her, Red couldn't help but feel happy. Seeing her happy, when she had been so broken earlier... it was the greatest feeling. He knew that he had to make tomorrow special. Just for her. And he swore on his title as Champion that he would do so.

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 **Thanks for reading, everybody. I'm really glad that I got to update this. I appreciate any feedback, and thank you to all of my readers for even just taking the time to read this little thing I've got going here. Until next time! Adieu.**


	7. Chapter 7: She Will Be Loved

**Hey people. The long awaited "date" chapter is here. It took me forever to write this, but I am super happy to give it to you now. I hope you enjoy it!**

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"Why in the hell did I think this was a good idea?" Red asked himself aloud. He was staring at himself in the mirror, and he felt like every nerve in his body was being stimulated by a painfully dull ache. He wore a burgundy button up shirt and black pants with a tie that correlated nicely. It had been a while since he'd had to dress up for anything, and he'd had to go out and buy the clothes for what seemed like a very unfair price. Leaf had explained that things are always a bit more expensive in the big cities, but Red didn't see why he should ever have to pay 100,000 poké for an outfit.

Leaf had gone over to Lyra and Silver's apartment to prepare for their date, and Red was to meet her at Restaurant Le Wow on Hibernal Avenue in half an hour. He hadn't even left yet and he already felt like he was off his game. Leaf was a bombshell of a girl, and no matter how long he'd known her, he knew he was going to feel uncomfortable taking her out on a date. He was sure that people would see them and wonder what on earth such a beautiful woman was doing with a guy like him. When they spent time together casually, he didn't worry about it as much. But Red was sure that being dressed up would majorly highlight the fact that Leaf was way out of his league when it came to their physical attributes.

But he'd promised her. He'd promised her that he was going to show her how she deserved to be treated, and he was going to keep that promise even if it killed him. No matter what, this date was going to happen and he was going to treat Leaf like the special person she was.

Red glanced at his Pokégear. It was about time for him to get going. Leaf had given him directions to the restaurant, but he wanted a little extra time in case he might take a wrong turn. Or three. Taking a deep breath, he made his way out the door and out of the building, heading straight forward into the date that was making him so anxious. He wondered what she would look like tonight. She'd approved of his outfit when he'd sent a picture to her earlier, but he had a feeling that she was going to out-dress him. Would she be nervous like him? Or would she be her cool-headed self who liked to embarrass him so much? Only time would tell.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Red was relieved to see that Leaf hadn't yet made it there. This would give him a few moments to adjust to the fancy surroundings and cool his head before greeting her. The host led Red to their table, since Leaf had made reservations earlier that day, and Red was comforted to see that he was not wearing a tuxedo. It seemed that Leaf had chosen a place that was fancy, but not at the aristocratic level. Maybe he would be able to make it through this after all.

"Can I bring you a bottle of wine for your table?" a waiter asked as Red took his seat.

"Uh, sure," Red said absently.

"What kind would you like?"

Red slightly panicked. He didn't know much about wine culture, and he felt as though this were a pop quiz which would reveal to the waiter his social status instantly. However, the waiter just gave him a knowing smile.

"I will select something nice for you. Just tell me if you'd like a red wine or white wine?"

"Red, please." He couldn't go wrong with his lucky color. The waiter nodded and walked away swiftly. Red breathed a sigh of relief, closing his eyes momentarily.

"That was the most merciful man I have ever met," he breathed.

"Who was?"

Red's eyes flew open at the sound of Leaf's voice. How had she managed to sneak up on him like that? He lost his train of thought as he took in the sight of her. Leaf was wearing a black sleeveless crew neck dress. While it didn't show any cleavage, it was tight enough across her chest to accentuate her curves. She hadn't styled her hair any differently, but he could tell that she had taken extra care to ensure that every hair was in place and that it shined brilliantly, along with putting on some heavier makeup than usual that gave her a very sexy appearance. The thing that had Red sweating though were her shoes. Leaf was wearing a pair of black high heels that just screamed with sensuality. It was amazing what a pair of heels could do to a girl. Her legs appeared long and slender, while the effect it had on her already ample backside was practically dizzying. Red hoped that bottle of wine would arrive soon.

"You look fantastic!" Red said, jumping out of his chair in order to pull hers out. Leaf blushed mildly and smiled at him.

"You don't look too shabby yourself," she responded as she sat down and let him push her up to the table. She adjusted the hem of her dress as he retook his seat, and then they stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments.

Luckily, the waiter returned with their menus and a bottle just then.

"Here you are, Sir," he addressed Red, " You made a fine choice." He sent a sly wink to Red before setting two glasses on the table and pouring the wine into them. Red thanked him and told him it would be a few more minutes before they'd be ready to order their food. As Red began to study the menu, Leaf brought her glass of wine to her lips.

"Red, you picked this?" she asked in surprise.

"Sure did," he answered coolly.

"This is one of my favorites," Leaf said happily, taking another sip. Red made a mental note to leave a generous tip for their waiter. Not only was he merciful, but he might be some kind of deity.

"Glad you like it," Red said, taking a sip of the wine for himself. He didn't see what was so special about it, but if it made her happy then that was good enough for him.

"Are you ready to order?" Leaf asked him.

"I think so, but what about you? You haven't even touched your menu."

"Oh, I've been here on dates quite a few times," she answered with a wink, "I'm just going to order my usual."

"You have a usual? That's more than a few dates!" Red exclaimed, causing Leaf to giggle.

When the waiter returned, they ordered their meals. As if to prove her point, Leaf literally told the waiter that she would have her "usual," and he quickly scribbled something on his notepad to Red's surprise. He felt slightly embarrassed. No wonder this guy had known what kind of wine to bring them! And he was probably just seeing Red as another man in Leaf's long line of temporary boyfriends. She probably brought in so many customers that she was one of their favorite people to wait on!

Leaf was sitting across the table staring at him with an ornery look on her face. She knew he hadn't picked out that wine. Was this whole thing a joke to her? Here he was trying to give her a night of fun and relaxation and she was just treating it like any other opportunity she had to poke fun at him. Well, if she thought he was going to put up with this much longer, she was sadly mistaken.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull," he said as calmly as possible, "but I really do intend to make this a night you'll enjoy. Not because you're going to enjoy teasing me, but because I'm going to treat you like a lady instead of a piece of meat. And judging by the things you've told me, you're not used to that. If you're going to throw that in my face and use my kindness to embarrass me, we can go home right now."

There was a flash of emotion in Leaf's eyes. He could tell that he had taken her by surprise. It was rare to see her let her guard down, and he felt somewhat victorious at her reaction. She let out a small sigh and stared down into her wine.

"Okay, Red. I can see that you're serious. I promise that from this point on I'll try to treat this like a real date."

"Thank you," he said simply, "Let's start over then. Pretend like you haven't known me for years."

With that, they began making small talk as they waited for their food to arrive.

"So do you just help Professor Sycamore with his mega evolution research?" Red asked.

"No. I have my own independent research project as well," Leaf told him.

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm researching pokémon psychology."

"Pokémon psychology... so, how they think and stuff?"

"Pretty much. How they think, feel, and the connection to their behavior as a result of those two things... My goal is to help trainers and pokémon communicate better. I've always thought, 'how arrogant of humans to think that they understand one another.' That's why I study pokémon. They're complex, like us humans, but at least with them, almost everything makes sense. When it comes to human psychology, I just think people are wasting their time."

"Why's that?"

"Because you can't analyze people. You just can't."

"Sounds like speciesism to me," Red teased.

"Oh shut up," Leaf shot back with a smile.

"In all seriousness, though, I think you're wrong. I think pokémon are just as capable of that complex psychology as humans are. If they can be shaped by the events in their lives just as humans are, then why not?"

"Hmm..." Leaf mused. Red could practically see the wheels turning in her head. There was no doubt in his mind that Leaf loved pokémon, and that she always took their feelings and their ability to suffer into consideration. She treated them like family, so why would she feel that their mental capacity was lesser than that of humans? Their food arrived just then, leaving her with the chance to think about what Red had said.

As they ate, the two of them spoke more about what had been happening in their lives over the years. Red was recounting a battle he'd had against a challenger who almost beat him, and he could see the sparkle in Leaf's eyes as he told the story.

"Wow, Red! Listening to you talk about that battle makes me believe that you really do still have a fire burning inside you!" she said happily.

Red could feel himself blushing. She had complimented him on the very thing she'd been insulting him about for days. Was she right? Did he still have a fire for battling burning deep within him? And if he did, how was he going to find it?

When their meal was finished, Red picked up the tab and pulled Leaf's chair out for her.

"Well, aren't you quite the gentleman!" Leaf teased flirtatiously as he helped her up.

"This chair reminds me of a puzzle," Red joked, pretending to tip his non-existent top hat.

"Oh, shut up!" Leaf said, rolling her eyes at his reference but still smiling all the same, "So where is the _champion_ going to take me on our big date?"

"Well, let's just say there was a reason why I told the waiter we didn't want to order dessert," Red smiled.

"Ooh! What are we going to get?" Leaf asked happily.

"Just the best crème brulèe you've ever tasted!"

"Hmm... crème brulée is pretty common in this city. We'll have to see just how well you did your homework," Leaf responded with a wink.

"I always aim to impress," Red said confidently, walking her out of the restaurant and heading towards the southern boulevard.

"I like the direction you're taking so far," Leaf said with a smile. Red inwardly let out a sigh of relief. He'd researched desserts in Lumiose City all morning. He'd even asked some people on the streets what their favorite local dessert was. While there were a few outliers, most of them had enthusiastically talked about one specific café.

"Well, here we are!" Red said as they reached his chosen café.

"You got it right!" Leaf cheered, "I'm so proud of you!"

"I'm kinda proud of myself too," Red admitted, "Well? Shall we?"

"We shall." With that, the two of them entered the café, where they would both enjoy the best dessert they'd ever tasted.

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"That was delicious!" Leaf sighed as Red led her out of the restaurant. This date might be nothing but a bunch of make-believe, but at least she'd gotten an excellent meal and some great dessert out of it. And what was better was the fact that she knew she wouldn't have to "compensate" for Red's trouble later on in the evening. She hadn't felt so relaxed on a date in forever. It was almost sad that this wasn't a true date.

"If you think I'm doing well so far, wait 'til you see what I have planned next!" Red boasted. Leaf chuckled to herself. It made her happy to see Red feeling so confident in himself.

"Why? What do you have planned?" Leaf asked with genuine interest.

"I'm going to show you something that I guarantee no man has ever shown you before!"

"I've seen plenty of dicks in my lifetime, Red."

"Leaf! What happened to taking this seriously?!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Leaf apologized while laughing at Red's embarrassment.

" _Anyway_ , I'm going to take you to the top of Lumiose Tower!"

"Red, they don't let the public go up there."

"But we're not the public," Red said slyly, "Don't forget, you're in the presence of a champion."

"Pulled a few strings, did you?"

"You better believe it!"

"I'll admit that's pretty cool," Leaf conceded. Her heart was secretly fluttering with excitement. The top of Lumiose Tower! And at night time nonetheless! The whole city would be illuminated by thousands of lights, and they would be able to see almost all of them at once!

As the tower came into view, Leaf admired its beautiful structure and lighting. Clement really took good care of the place, not to mention the electricity of the whole city.

"So did you talk the gym leader into letting us do this?" Leaf asked. She was slightly curious. If Red had really lost a gym battle to him, then he surely wouldn't have played the champion card to get this opportunity. It was too risky.

"No, I talked to his little sister, actually," Red smiled, "She was more than happy to go talk her big brother into letting a champion ride to the top of the tower."

"Really?"

"I... may have bribed her with some candy too."

"Ooh, tricksy you are!" Leaf laughed, elbowing him teasingly.

"Hey, I'm not above bribing kids with candy."

"Be careful who you say that to. Stranger danger."

"I'm not a pedophile!"

Leaf giggled heartily. Red really was fun to tease. It made her laugh every time he got all flustered. The way his eyes got wide and the tips of his ears turned pink... it was just so adorable!

"This is where we ride up," Red said, leading her over to an elevator door. He pulled a key card out of his pocket and slide it through the scanner. The doors opened and they both walked inside.

"Gosh, this elevator's kinda creepy," Red observed as it began its ascent to the top of the tower. Leaf couldn't help but agree. It was very dark inside, the only light shining through a few small openings at the top. She could still see Red's face, but everything was bathed in dusky gray shadows.

"Hey Red... Oooohoooohh!"

"Stop making ghost sounds!"

"Why? Does it _scare_ you?"

"No!"

"It totally does!"

"Stop teasing me, Leaf!" Just then, the elevator came to a stop.

"Oh look, we're at the top!" Leaf said cheerily, walking out of the open elevator.

"Wait, Leaf!" Red yelled. What was his problem? As her foot met air, Leaf realized what his problem was.

"Red!" she shrieked hysterically, looking down at the solid concrete street beneath her. A fall from this height would surely end her.

"I've got you!" Red shouted, grabbing tightly on to her waist. Leaf gasped as she was suddenly pulled backwards, falling over on top of Red.

"Oww... "he muttered, "You're heavier than you look."

"I beg your pardon?" Leaf asked crossly.

"Hey, I just saved your life you know! You're welcome by the way!"

"I know, I know... Thank you, Red."

"Do you always have to be so reckless? I was going to warn you that the elevator stops halfway up because there used to be a platform there when they were building the tower, but you just had to go flying out the door before I could tell you!"

"You could have told me a little sooner!" Leaf objected.

"You're right..." Red admitted, "You just scared me, that's all."

"Aww. That's sweet," Leaf gushed.

"You did scare me! I care about you, okay?"

Leaf felt herself blush a little. He did care about her. And she felt a little awkward about it in all honesty. She wasn't used to being cared for very much at all aside from Silver's brotherly love. And he had always made it clear that her problems were her own. Of course, to him Leaf's problems were just that she liked to drink herself silly and get into bed with guys a little too easily. And she supposed that on the surface, that's how she looked to everyone else. Everyone except Red, because he knew her pain now.

"Come on," Red said, rising to his feet, "We still have the top of the tower to experience." He took her hand and pulled her up, catching her in his arms as she balanced herself.

"Okay, Red. To the top of the tower it is!" she said happily. Even though she'd practically fallen out of the elevator, she was still really excited to ride it to the top! As they continued making their ascent, Leaf smiled to herself. Being with Red was really fun. He made her feel like everything was under control. And yet, she was still feeling the excitement that she'd always gotten out of her wild and careless dates.

"Here we are!" Red announced as the elevator stopped once again. Leaf held her breath as the doors slid open and they walked out onto the top platform of the tower. The sight that greeted her was absolutely breathtaking.

"Oh, Red, it's beautiful!" Leaf said in awe, "I've seen the city lights from above while riding Altaria, but this is so much better!" It was true. When viewing the city from above, you couldn't see the lights from quite the same angle. And having the lights of the tower illuminating the space all around them intensified the beauty all around them.

"It really is," Red agreed, "It's almost like being in a dream."

"A really good dream," Leaf confirmed. She turned to look at him, but he was staring out at the city. His eyes reflected the thousands of lights around them, and Leaf didn't know which was more gorgeous: the lights or his glossy red orbs.

"I want to see the other direction," he said, "We can walk around the platform to the other side of the tower. I don't want you to almost fall again, so... even though I know it's weird, can we hold hands?"

Leaf giggled lightly. Red was so adorable.

"Sure," she answered, slipping her hand into his own. She could see a faint blush on his cheeks, but it just made her smile even more. She could feel her body touching his as they walked along the edge of the platform together, and for some reason it made her feel happy. It was nice not being alone for once. Even when she went out with other guys, she felt lonely on the inside.

"This side of the city is even prettier than the other side," she told him as they gazed upon it together. He nodded in agreement, taking in the sight before him. "Thank you for bringing me up here, Red."

"I knew you would love it," he said with a smile.

"I could stand up here forever," she said dreamily.

"Well, I told them we wouldn't be up here longer than half an hour, so drink it in while you can."

"Oh, I intend to," Leaf assured him. She'd take in this moment and enjoy it so that she'd remember it forever. And looking over at Red, she had the feeling that this wasn't the only thing she should be savoring. He, too, was something that she could only enjoy while it lasted.

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"There's one more place I'd like to go tonight," Leaf said as she and Red walked down the North streets of Lumiose City side by side. The lights seemed so much less majestic from down here, but as they passed by them there was no doubt in Red's mind that this city was deadly romantic. He had to admit he was having a lot of fun with her. It almost felt like she really was his girlfriend. Maybe when he went back home to Pallet in a few days, he'd have to see about trying to find himself a real date. Spending so much time with Leaf was making him yearn for the company that could only be found in a relationship.

"Sure, Leaf. Where would you like to go?" he asked warmly. He noticed that she had begun to play with her hair, and he felt a twinge of unease at her obvious nervousness.

"I'd like to go to the city art museum. I haven't gotten to see this month's exhibit and they'll be taking it down soon..."

"I dunno, Leaf... I'm not very into paintings..."

"Oh, you'll like the museum paintings, Red! Some of them even have naked women in them," she joked.

"Meh, those are just pictures," Red responded with a smirk, causing Leaf to shove him playfully. "Okay. If you want to go to the museum, we'll go to the museum."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Leaf said happily. She was so excited that she grabbed him and gave him a hug. It all happened so fast that Red could scarcely process it. Luckily, he only remained stiff for a moment before he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her as well.

"No problem," he said as she pulled away. Leaf then proceeded to lead the way to the museum, Red following a step or two behind her. He felt slightly embarrassed. Had she detected his reluctance to hug her? Probably. It was normal, after all. They were just friends, so of course hugging between them was weird. Perhaps she was even just messing with him again as she had earlier in the evening, and if he hadn't hesitated it would have surprised her. Yet, he somehow felt warmed by her gesture. She was so soft to hold, and her hair had a nice scent to it. He almost wouldn't mind experiencing it again if only to hug her back genuinely. But he would likely never have that opportunity again.

The museum was soon within their sight, and Red took in the view of the building. It was large, but not particularly grand. It had an air of sophistication, but also a rustic simplicity.

As soon as they entered and paid their way into the exhibit, they were greeted by a man in a tuxedo.

"Ah, Miss Green!" he said happily, "I was wondering when you'd be stopping in for another visit!" He kissed both of her cheeks in greeting, and Red silently prayed that he wouldn't do the same to him. "And who is this fine gentleman that you've brought with you, tonight?"

"This is Red, my date for tonight," Leaf answered, "This is Stuart, the owner of the museum," Leaf said to Red.

"Nice to meet you, Stu," Red said politely, shaking the man's hand before he could kiss his cheek or something. He couldn't help but feel that this man was a bit odd, and he wanted to fast forward through the introductions and return to his night with Leaf as quickly as possible.

"Please do not call me that, Sir," Stuart said politely, "You see, if you call me Stu, you take the 'art' out of my name."

Red stared back at him blankly. Was this guy for real?

"Come along now," Leaf said quietly, steering him away from the man, "We wouldn't want to say something insulting... Good to see you, Stuart!" she called behind her as they hastily walked away. Once they were out of earshot, Red turned to her and chuckled slightly.

"That guy is nuttier than a Seedot!"

"I know, I know! Just shush and look at some paintings with me," Leaf said dismissively. Red rolled his eyes and followed her over to a large portrait featuring several shades of red.

"What is it?" Red asked as he took it in.

"It's an abstract," Leaf explained, "It's meant to be interpreted and discussed by the viewers."

"I've always wondered what makes one abstract valuable and another not," Red commented.

"I have no idea, Leaf admitted. Let's move on." They walked over to the next painting.

"Well, at least I can tell what this one is," Red stated, "I'm drawing a blank as to why it would be considered significant though. They were staring at a picture of a living room. There were no people present in the scene, but what did catch the eye was the lamp. The artist had painted the picture with the lamp lying broken on the floor.

"Maybe we're supposed to imagine what led to the breaking of the lamp," Leaf guessed, "Maybe it was knocked over by some children, and now they're hiding from their mother before she finds out what happened and unleashes her wrath."

"Or, maybe there were two lovers making out so hard that the lamp just fell over," Red offered.

"You mean they bumped into it?"

"No. They were making out and then... it just fell over." Leaf stared at him blankly. "It was just a thought," he said sheepishly.

Red and Leaf continued moving from painting to painting. They all seemed strange or unexciting to Red, but he found that he was enjoying himself regardless. Watching Leaf's eyes light up at the paintings she found intriguing made him happy. There was something about her when she was excited. Something about the way words came rushing out of her mouth like a bubbling river nonstop. When she had been nagging and teasing him the past few days, he'd only wished for her voice to stop. But now, he hoped the sound would go on forever.

Red had briefly excused himself to use the restroom, and as he went to wash his hands, he glanced at himself in the mirror above the sink. He was startled by his own face. For some reason he seemed to look different. His eyes were the piercing red color that they had been when he was a child. And his skin seemed to have a more vibrant hue to its usual paleness. He could hardly believe it was him. For the first time in years, he was looking at a version of himself that didn't look tired and defeated. He liked what he saw.

As he went to rejoin Leaf, he caught her staring at a painting. Her head was tilted up slightly, and she seemed to be illuminated by the lighting perfectly. The only thing he could look at was her. Leaf, in all of her vibrancy and all of her brutality... standing there like a painting far more beautiful than anything else he'd ever find in this museum. Leaf was all he had ever seen and all that he had yet to see. And his eyes couldn't look away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ugh! These shoes are killing me!" Leaf complained as they rode up the elevator to her apartment. She shamelessly started taking them off and frowned down at a blister on the side of her toe. That would hurt for a while.

"Yesterday I would have asked why women want to wear such painful shoes, but seeing them on you tonight answered any and all questions," Red joked. Leaf shot him a dirty look, but she was inwardly surprised. Red had been slightly flirtatious before, but this shot had been a little more direct. She could even feel herself blushing a little.

The whole walk home, Red had been rather quiet. They'd made small talk in the cool night air, but his responses were short and he seemed awfully distracted. Maybe going to the museum had been a bad decision. She knew he'd hate it, so why had she asked to go there? It had probably bored him out of his mind.

His comment about her shoes had her curious though. Why would he compliment her on her appearance? And with a slightly sexual connotation?

Entering the apartment, Leaf suddenly felt like there was awkward silence between them. Red kicked his own shoes off and then turned to face her.

"Listen-" they both said at the same time, causing each other to pause. They stared into each other's eyes apologetically.

"You first," Red insisted politely. Leaf nodded in thanks.

"I know that I behaved childishly when we met for dinner earlier, and... I'm sorry for that," she said, looking down, "I know this wasn't a real date, but... I still had a really nice time. Thanks, Red." She looked up at him and gave him a smile, causing him to smile back as well.

"You're welcome, Leaf. Like I said... I wanted to show you how you deserve to be treated. So if any guy gives you less than what you deserve... just don't stand for it anymore in the future, okay?"

"Okay," Leaf nodded, smiling again. With that, Red began to gather his night clothes to change into.

"Red?"

"Yeah?"

"What were you going to say a moment ago?" she asked curiously.

"Oh... I was just going to tell you that I had a really nice time too. You're a lot of fun, and... I hope you got something out of our pretend date."

"I did. Thank you." Leaf turned towards her bedroom so that she could change. She didn't know why, but she felt slightly disappointed. For some reason, she felt like Red had been about to say something else, but he'd decided to abandon it at the last second.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered to herself as she removed her earrings, "It's not like I'll ever see him again after this week anyway. Or at least, not for a long time." The thought saddened her. Even though he'd only been with her five days, she was beginning to like having Red around. He may not be the strong, passionate trainer he was when they were kids, but he was something else now. He was thoughtful, and intelligent. More than that he was just downright kind. And something about that kindness made her want to smile. It made her want to believe that she could still find happiness in life. If Red truly thought she was worth something, then maybe he was right.

And maybe, just maybe... Red was someone she shouldn't let slip through her fingers. But it was inevitable. He had his duties as champion. Pallet Town was the last place Leaf wanted to go back to. And besides that he obviously had no romantic interest in her anyways. If there was one person who she could never fall in love with, it was Red Ketchum, and that was that.

"Oh Red..." she whispered, "You've given me a night of a thousand smiles, but the lifetime of smiles... it will have to come from somewhere, or someone, else."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **There it is. I hope it met you guys' expectations. I feel like there are parts of it that turned out really good, but a couple of slumps here and there. I'd especially appreciate feedback for this chapter because of that.**

 **As usual, thank you to all of my readers! You guys are the best!**


	8. Chapter 8: True Colors

**Hello everyone. I'm really glad that I managed to get this chapter out to you today. I wasn;t really planning on it, but I started working on it last week and things progressed rather nicely and before I knew it I had written the longest chapter of the story.**

 **I hope you like it!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Red was staring at the ceiling of Leaf's apartment. It was very early in the morning, and the girl was still asleep in her bedroom. He silently wondered how well she had slept, because his sleep had been broken and certainly not restful in the least. He wanted her to wake up. He wanted her to walk out of that room and make some wise crack about his sweatpants being crooked on his hips and what that must mean.

Last night had been a great experience. Everything had gone better than he originally planned. So why was he feeling so upset?

Looking at his pokégear, he saw that it was only five-thirty. He'd been laying there awake since three, and he couldn't bear to do it any longer. He needed to do something, but he didn't want to wake Leaf by accident.

Quietly, Red sat up on the couch and grabbed his backpack. He ruffled through it for a moment before coming across something he had completely forgotten about.

"Mom's cookies," he whispered to himself fondly. Did he dare eat cookies at five-thirty in the morning? Yes. Yes he did. You only live once anyways.

He happy opened the zip-lock bag of chocolate chip cookies and pulled one out, munching on it happily. His mom made the best cookies in all of Kanto. Maybe even the whole world. Or maybe everyone just feels that way about their own mother's cookies.

As he continued to eat, he noticed something about the bag of cookies. Something else was in there – something small and square. Reaching inside, he pulled out the strange object and then began to choke on cookie crumbs once he realized what it was.

He ran into the kitchen and downed a glass of water to stop his coughing fit. What was wrong with his mom? He looked down at the object still clutched in his hand. It was a condom.

Did his mom seriously think he was going to sleep with Leaf? Or was this a "just in case" condom? Why in the world did she have to assume that something would go down between them?

"Red, are you okay?" Leaf called from her bedroom. He could hear the sound of her footsteps. Shit! She was coming! Without thinking, Red threw the condom onto the floor and kicked it under that refrigerator.

"Red?" Leaf asked again, stepping into the kitchen quietly. She was wearing a pair of short black shorts and a green tank top.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said, playing it cool, "I was just choking on a cookie."

"Why are you eating cookies this early in the morning? I'll make you some eggs."

"No, Leaf, you don't need to do that –"

"Sit down. You woke me up and you'll eat eggs if I tell you to."

"Yes, Mam," he said with a crisp salute. Leaf rolled her eyes in annoyance, but smiled good-naturedly.

Red sat in silence for a while as Leaf cooked him breakfast. He felt bad that he had woken her and that she was now going to the trouble of feeding him. He'd have to figure out some way to make it up to her later.

"About last night…" Leaf suddenly said hesitantly. Red took in a sharp, inaudible breath. What was she going to say?

"You've made me want to find somebody who's right for me. Somebody who cares."

Red felt relief but he also felt a sense of disappointment deep within him.

"That's great, Leaf. I'm sure plenty of nice guys would like to date you. Well, as long as you're nicer to them than you are to me."

"Heheh… Yeah…" Leaf laughed half-heartedly. Red couldn't help but feel like he'd made her sad somehow. What was going on in that wild little head of hers?

"So what's on the agenda today?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know. In all honesty, Red, it feels a bit pointless now trying to give you new experiences."

"Don't say that! You promised me you'd show me the world this week. You wouldn't want to break your promise, would you?"

That caused her to smirk. There. This had to make her feel better.

"You secretly like being here with me, don't you?" she said, causing Red to blush guiltily.

"Well, it's not as bad as I thought it would be!" he offered. Leaf just giggled and placed a plate with eggs and a slice of ham on the table.

"Eat up, Red darling. I know where I want to take you today." With that, she sauntered off toward the bathroom to get ready.

"She's calling me 'darling' again," Red muttered to himself. He took a bite of eggs and appreciated the warmth as they slid down his throat. That hit the spot.

He could hear the sound of Leaf humming happily in the shower as he ate. It was kind of adorable the way she did that. At least she seemed to be happy. That's all he cared about. He couldn't get it out of his head, the great time that they'd shared last night. And he couldn't stop thinking about that moment in the museum. She had seemed so beautiful right then. So picture perfect. And the contact they'd made… The hand holding, the brief hug, the brushing against one another… he could swear that it had made sparks dance on his skin. Why was this happening to him?

In his heart, Red knew that he was beginning to feel something for his friend. That was the last thing he wanted, especially since he was almost certain that she could never feel the same way about him. Luckily, these sparks of feeling would be snuffed out before they spread any further. In two days, this would all be over and he could put Leaf Green into the back of his head forever.

He had almost finished his breakfast when he suddenly remembered something.

"The condom!" he whispered furiously. No way could he leave it under her fridge! He quickly dived onto the floor and desperately tried to reach under the appliance, but to no avail. The space was just too thin.

"Shit, shit, shit," he chanted to himself. What could he use to retrieve it?

"What are you doing?"

Oh no. No no no no no.

"I'm… uhh… hmm…" Red stuttered. He couldn't think of a believable excuse. All he could do was stare dumbly up at Leaf who was wearing her green bathrobe but had dried her hair already.

"Did you drop something under there? Here." Leaf grabbed a nearby mop with a skinny handle and got down onto the floor next to him. He felt like he would pass out from embarrassment as she poked and prodded before finally sliding the object out.

"Is this… what you dropped?" Leaf asked, already knowing the answer.

"Listen, Leaf! It's not what you think!" Red insisted.

Leaf stared at him a moment longer before bursting into a fit of laughter. She was laughing so hard that she rolled around on the floor, causing her robe to open up a little bit. Red turned away from his own embarrassment. Thank god she was wearing underwear.

Eventually, Leaf stood up and straightened out her robe.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, holding up the condom.

"My… my mother put it in the bag with the cookies," he admitted in humiliation.

"Your _mother_ gave you a condom?" Leaf guffawed.

"Yes. Yes, my mother gave me a condom! She's crazy, okay?"

"She just wants you to be safe," Leaf tried to console him, unable to keep a straight face.

"You can't even say that seriously!"

"I can't help it! It's hilarious that she assumes we're going to do the Hokey-Pokey while you're here!"

"The Hokey-Pokey? Really Leaf?" Red asked sardonically.

"What would you rather have me say?"

"I don't know!"

"Hey. Hey, Red," Leaf said as she leaned close to his ear, "…. Intercourse."

"That's enough!" Red yelled, throwing his hands up into the air, "I'm going to take a very long shower!"

"You know what that means!" Leaf chirped.

"God, woman, you just can't stop, can you?"

"I'm on a role and it's only 6 a.m!"

Red groaned in frustration. This was going to be another long day indeed.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What is this place?" Red asked. The two of them had spent the morning walking through the city. Leaf had stopped them at a few shops along the way, and before he knew it the sun was high in the sky. It must've almost been noon at that point. Now they were standing out front of what looked like a bar. Not a run-down sketchy one, but a much nicer place which Red might even describe as classy.

"It's a grill and bar that I frequent," Leaf said casually, "This is one of my favorite places to hang out when I need some company."

"Oh really?" Red asked as she lead him inside. He was curious to say the least. What did Leaf do when she wasn't working or going out with men?

Inside the bar, the tables and booths were dotted with random daytime customers. The place struck Red as more of an evening venue anyways, so that didn't really surprise him. There was a certain hominess to the atmosphere, and he had to admit that he didn't even feel nervous being there.

"Hey, Leaf!" a girl called from behind the counter, "Ooh, you brought a man with you! You must really like him if you brought him here!"

Red felt himself blush slightly. Why was Leaf's bringing him here so significant?

"Can we get some ribs and beer?" Leaf asked, ignoring the girl's implications as she signed a paper on the counter, "We'll be in my usual booth."

"Sure thing," the girl said with a wink. It was obvious that Leaf must come here a lot to be able to talk to the waitress so casually.

"This will be your final test," Leaf said as she led him over to a booth along the left wall.

"Why? What's going to happen?" Red asked nervously.

"You'll see after a while. For now, let's just enjoy lunch."

As the two of them waited for their meal, they made small talk. Red was beginning to feel comfortable having Leaf across the table from him. Even just talking to her earlier this week had been enough to rattle his nerves, but now it felt so natural to him. He was pretty sure that when he went home he was going to miss this. He would miss the way her hair brushed against him when they were walking and he'd miss the smirk that always played on her lips while they were talking.

By the time their meal was finished, Red found himself feeling a little bit sad. His sullenness was interrupted by a woman stepping onto a stage that was in the corner and grabbing a microphone.

"Hello everybody! Who's ready for Afternoon Karoake?"

Red felt his stomach drop into his feet. No way. She couldn't. She wouldn't. He glanced over at Leaf who was smiling at him innocently. She would. She so would. That paper she had signed when they walked in… she had signed him up to sing karaoke!

"You didn't," he said, still in shock.

"I did," she said, flashing him a childish smile that was all teeth, "But don't worry," she added.

"How can I not worry?" Red asked in disbelief.

"Our first karaoke singers tonight will be Leaf Green and Red Ketchum!" the woman announced.

Red froze at the words, but he felt somewhat relieved that Leaf was going to sing with him. Why did she want to do this? Why did she want to sing with him?

Leaf practically had to drag him up onto the stage with her, which caused some of the audience members to laugh.

"Sorry, it's his first time, guys," she said into the microphone. A few people clapped encouragingly. Red wanted to die. If he could die right now, he would compromise all his regrets.

"What are you going to sing for us?" the woman asked.

"We've been living dangerously this week, so we're going to let it be random!" Leaf announced. Red couldn't believe his ears. What if it was a song he'd never even heard of? Leaf was out of her mind. How could she possibly have the moxie to get up here and do this to him?

The karaoke machine chose a random song, and Red breathed an audible sigh of relief when it ended up being a song he knew.

"We'll be singing 'True Colors'for you all today," Leaf announced. Red was just glad that he knew the song. It was a good song too. He told himself that if he could just get through this one embarrassing moment, it would all be over. Leaf had told him that this was his final test. And he intended to pass it with flying colors. No pun intended.

As the music started, Red felt the blood rush to his face. He knew that everybody could see how nervous he was, and that only served to make him more nervous.

Shakily, Red sang the first verse of the song. He tried his best to keep his voice steady as the words came out. He couldn't bear to look at the audience, so instead he found himself looking over at Leaf who was smiling up at him.

When the first verse ended, Leaf picked up the second verse. Red was pleasantly surprised to hear that she actually had a pretty nice singing voice. It was uncharacteristically gentle compared to her normally hard voice, and he found himself lost in the sound. When the chorus came, he joined in, taking up the melody while she lowered herself to the harmony.

Gradually, Red felt his nerves dissipate, and he began to sing with more confidence. He knew that his singing voice wasn't anything special, but the glow of happiness on Leaf's face spread to his own and made him feel at ease. He even began to enjoy himself. It was like there was nobody watching them and it was just the two of them singing to each other in their own little world. He had always thought that her eyes were green, but as he stared into them from so close up he realized that they were a rich brown. He liked it.

"True colors are beautiful… like a rainbow," they trailed off together as the song ended. The other people in the bar all clapped and cheered, while Leaf and Red gave a bashful bow together. Red wasn't sure what he was feeling, but it certainly wasn't the humiliation he expected. He felt happy.

They stuck around for a few more songs from other people, and Red had to accept that it was a good time listening to other people sing, even if a lot of them weren't that good. When they left the bar, Red found himself putting an arm around Leaf's waist and giving her a half-hug, causing her to blush.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"Thanks for making me do that. I… I actually enjoyed it," he told her.

"I enjoyed it too," she smiled.

"It's kinda funny, how it picked that song for us, isn't it?" Red asked, "I think we've both gotten to see each other's true colors this week, though I'm not sure if I'd call mine beautiful."

"Well mine aren't very pretty either, Red," Leaf pointed out, "I think you're right though. We started this week off expecting one thing, and it took a completely different direction on us. I feel like I understand you better than I ever have, Red. And I think I understand myself better too."

"I feel the same," he agreed, "And… even though I didn't want to come, I'm glad that you dragged me here for the week. It's done me a lot of good, even if it happened in a different way than you intended."

"Thanks, Red. That means a lot to me."

They walked down the sidewalk in silence, both of them feeling a little down.

"I think when I go home, my life is going to be different," Red stated.

"You think so?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah. I want to become a better champion. I want to get out a little more. And hopefully I can grow into a person who even you would be proud of."

"What does my opinion matter?" Leaf asked.

"Well it seemed to matter a whole lot earlier this week," he laughed.

"Yeah… but all that really matters is how you feel, Red. What I think doesn't matter. So when you leave the day after tomorrow, I want you to forget everything I said to you. You're a great person, okay?"

"Leaf…"

The two of them stopped walking, and Leaf stared down at the ground.

"I need to be alone right now, Red. Can I meet you back at my place in like two hours?"

"Sure," Red said awkwardly. Things had taken a turn for the worse rather quickly, and he didn't know what to do.

Without another word, Leaf turned and began walking back in the opposite direction. He had never felt more alone in his life.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Leaf walked slowly around the outer road of the city. The traffic was beginning to disperse as dinner time approached, but it would pick up again soon as people went out for their evening fun. She felt bad leaving Red all alone in her apartment, but she needed some time to herself. There was just too much going on in her head.

Tomorrow would be her last day with Red. Then he'd be going back home to Pallet and she'd be left to her dysfunctional life again. But, if there was one thing to be said about this visit, it was that Leaf felt like things might finally begin to get better for her. She was tired. Tired of dating jerks and tired of feeling so alone. She wanted to spend time with herself. Work on herself. Maybe even learn to love herself.

As she passed by some of the local businesses, Leaf noticed a hair salon. She hadn't gotten her hair trimmed properly since she'd moved here. Sure, she had her own pair of hair scissors that she used to keep up with the split ends, but professionals did a much better job. Maybe indulging herself was just the thing she needed tonight.

With a smile on her face, Leaf entered the salon. She was greeted by a woman with a black ponytail and a blonde streak in her bangs. She looked totally cool.

"Hello there!" the woman said, "What can I do for you tonight?"

"I'd just like a trim, please," Leaf said simply.

"Okay, hun, take a seat and I'll be right there with you." Leaf went over to the chair and sat in the comfortable leather. Another girl with blonde shoulder length hair walked over to her and put the sheet over her body to catch falling hair.

"Would you like a pedicure too?" the girl asked, "We're having a special deal today. Only two-hundred poké when you get a haircut."

"That sounds wonderful," Leaf responded. If she was going to treat herself, she may as well go all out. The blonde girl went into the back room to retrieve supplies for the pedicure, and the original woman returned and began preparing to cut her hair.

"Are you wanting to do anything different than what you already have?" she asked.

"No thanks. I love my long hair, and my side-swept bangs suit me just fine."

"How about a new color?" the woman asked, her eyes glinting intently, "You could so rock pink hair."

"I don't think so," Leaf laughed nervously.

"No fun," the woman sighed with a gently smirk as she began washing Leaf's hair, "My name is Raven by the way. The girl getting your pedi ready is Serena."

As if on cue, Serena returned right then with a tub of water and other various supplies.

"Put your feet into the water for me," she instructed.

Leaf sighed in content as she slipped her bare feet into the warm water. This was heaven. The combination of her soaking feet and the gentle hands massaging their way through her hair was just so relaxing.

As the two women got to work, the three of them chatted about the latest fashion trends.

"Don't even get me started on Sharpie eyebrows," Serena huffed, "It just looks so… ugh."

Leaf glanced around the salon and noticed that there were several pictures of Serena on the wall. In each one she was wearing a different gorgeous dress and she was smiling as she held up a key.

"You compete in showcases," Leaf acknowledged.

"That's right," the girl responded.

"Serena here is trying to become Kalos Queen," Raven informed her, "She's come really close a couple of times but no cigar."

"I'll do it next time," Serena said with determination as she filed at one of Leaf's toenails.

"Your sense of style is fantastic," Leaf complimented as she looked at the pictures some more, "The way you dress up your Pokémon is so original."

"Thank you," Serena smiled, "I just love making them look super cute!"

The conversation was cut off for a little while as Raven began blow drying Leaf's hair. When she was finished, Serena held up two bottles of nail polish.

"This teal is so you," she said, wiggling one of the bottles, "but you could work this bright red like a champ. Any preference?"

"Normally I'd want the teal, but let's go with Red this time," Leaf decided.

"Red it is! Hold still please!"

"So, Leaf…" Raven said casually, "It's probably none of my business but I saw you out the window before you came in here and you looked kinda… sad. Then you slapped on a smile and walked in here. Is something on your mind? Hair stylists are great listeners."

"Well… you are strangers so I guess I won't feel embarrassed if I tell you. That, and I really need to get this off my chest," she admitted.

"Ooh, sounds juicy," Serena said with a smirk.

"Well… you see… there's this guy—"

"I love it when they start off like that, don't you, Serena?" Raven asked.

"Hey! Can I finish? Let alone get started?" Leaf interjected.

"Sure, hun. Tell us everything."

"Okay. He's my childhood friend—"

"Awww!" Serena gushed.

"You're wrong, Raven. You guys are terrible listeners!" Leaf said in exasperation.

"Sorry," Serena said quietly. Leaf cleared her throat.

"I've known him for years, and I always thought he was kind of a whiney little Mama's boy, even if he is a fantastic trainer. But he's been staying with me the past week and we've had a lot of fun, and… we went on a date last night."

"A date? So are you guys going to get together now?" Raven asked.

"No. You see, it wasn't like that. We only went out because he said he wanted to show me how I deserve to be treated."

"Umm… doesn't that mean he likes you?" Serena asked, "I mean, if he cares enough that he wants you to be with someone awesome and he wants what's best for you, then that means he likes you."

"I don't think so," Leaf said, "You see, I've always kind of been a bitch to him. So I don't really think he wants a relationship with me. I don't even know if he actually likes me as a friend."

"But you want to be with him?" Raven guessed.

"I think I might." Leaf couldn't believe that she'd said that out loud. Until now, she'd only thought she was slightly attracted to Red. But right here she had admitted that she wanted to be with him. "He really is very sweet, not to mention he's pretty attractive too, and I find myself blushing all the time around him and he's stupidly innocent to the point where I find it somewhat charming."

"Wait," Raven interrupted, "Pretty cute? How cute is he? Let's see a picture."

"I don't think I have a - Yes I do!" Leaf exclaimed suddenly, grabbing her pokegear. She still had that picture Red had sent her yesterday when he wanted her opinion on his outfit. She pulled up the picture and showed it to the two girls.

"Leaf, he's not cute! He's sexy!" Raven gasped.

"Let me see!" Serena begged. Leaf turned the picture towards her.

"Woah... I'd totally go out with him! And more!"

"Okay, okay guys! I know he's hot, alright? Now stop talking about him like he's a piece of meat."

"He looks familiar..." Raven mused.

"Oh, uh... probably just a coincidence," Leaf said, brushing her off. She didn't want them to know that Red was the champion. Luckily she hadn't told them his name so they wouldn't put two and two together. If they knew he was a champion they'd really start pushing her to take a chance on him.

"So he's hot. He's super sweet. He's like your classic nice guy but more attractive. What's not to like?" Raven asked.

"Well... to tell the truth there isn't a whole lot to dislike," Leaf admitted.

"Then Leaf you've got to tell him how you feel!" Serena insisted.

"What? Why? I don't even know if I like him that much! And what if he says no? And besides that, he lives in Kanto. A relationship would never work out."

"Trust me, Leaf. You totally like this guy. You should see your face right now. And as for the distance thing, Kanto's not that far. And you could always move there if things get super serious. Until then, what does it hurt to try?"

"He _is_ only spending one more day here…" Leaf pondered.

"See? If he rejects you then he'll be gone in a day and it won't be a big deal! You literally have nothing to lose!"

"Yeah, nothing but a 20 year old friendship!"

"Okay, I see your point. But if you don't take a chance on him then you'll be mad at yourself forever!"

"Raven is right!" Serena agreed, "I really think he's into you and maybe he doesn't know it, but if you guys just let this moment pass you by you're both going to regret it."

"I can't do this," Leaf said, "Maybe I do want to be with him, but honestly he deserves someone so much better than me. I'll ruin him if we get together."

"What kind of talk is that? Leaf, he took you out on a date to show you that you _are_ good enough. Clearly he thinks you're worthy of the utmost respect. You need to at least give it a chance. Don't shut down a maybe without giving it the opportunity to grow into a definitely," Raven said.

"I'll see how things go tomorrow," Leaf decided.

"No! You've got to do it tonight!" Serena told her, "Tomorrow is your last day together! If you guys are going to get together you need to do it tonight!"

"Tonight?! That's too sudden!"

"Listen to me, Leaf. If there was an attractive man who wanted to treat me with respect and who cared enough about me to make sure I knew that, I'd grab on and never let go. It sounds like this guy is a real catch. Now get a master ball and put him inside and never let him go!"

Leaf stared at the blonde girl before her. Her blue eyes were staring back at her intently.

"Do it," Serena whispered.

"I will," Leaf said with resolve. I'll do it tonight."

"That's our girl!" Raven cheered.

"I just know this is going to go well for you," Serena said confidently.

"I hope you guys are right…"

"Of course we are! Now let's finish this haircut so that we can get you home to that boy of yours!"

In a matter of minutes, Leaf's hair was trimmed and her toenails were painted the ravishing red color.

"You look fabulous!" Raven said in a sing-song voice, "but I wish you'd do something new with your hair."

"Maybe next time," Leaf said sheepishly.

"You have to come back," Raven said, "We need to know how things go down with your man!"

"You guys are great," Leaf said, "I'll definitely be coming back here."

"That's what we like to hear!" Serena said happily.

After Leaf paid for her haircut, she decided that it was time to head home. Red would be waiting for her. As she went out into the streets, she tied her freshly groomed hair back in a ponytail to keep it from getting ruined in the wind.

"This is it," she whispered to herself, "Tonight, I'll tell Red how much he means to me. And all I can do is hope that it won't be the biggest mistake of my life."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As Red walked along the streets of Lumiose, he couldn't help noticing how comfortable he felt. After six days in this city, he was beginning to feel at home here. The only thing missing was Leaf. He didn't understand why she suddenly wanted alone time. She'd have plenty of that after tomorrow, wouldn't she?

Leaf had gone through a whole roller coaster of emotions and personalities since he'd come here. As he'd thought before, the girl really was a little of everything. There was a beauty that came along with that, but there was also a lot of confusion and stress on his part. One minute she could be teasing him, another she could be upset. He knew that a lot of women were similar, but he'd never met someone who could switch back and forth the way Leaf could. She'd practically been a different person each day. Red told himself that it was due to the fact that she had opened up to him so much this week. Maybe the Leaf he'd seen those first few days wasn't the real Leaf. Maybe he'd only truly known her since that night where she'd broken down.

But even when they were kids, Leaf had always had a firecracker personality. She'd even rivaled Blue in who could be the most arrogant. Poor Red had always been caught between the two, and maybe that's why he had such a quiet nature. The three of them had gotten into a lot of trouble as kids, and Red was always the one who got roped into Blue and Leaf's ridiculous ideas.

And then there was that one time… That one memory from their childhood that he'd never quite been able to forget…

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Because Professor Oak is _my_ grandfather, I'm going to get a better pokémon than both of you!" Blue boasted proudly.

"Who cares what pokémon you get?" Leaf yawned, "You'll be such a sucky trainer that I'll beat you with both my hands and one leg tied behind my back, right Red?"

"Sure," Red said absently. He was peering behind the tall grass as his two friends argued like normal. They were all quickly approaching their tenth birthdays, and in a matter of months they would all be heading out on their journeys at the same time.

"What are you doing, Red? You're not supposed to go into the tall grass without an adult," Blue said matter of factly.

"I think he's got the right idea," Leaf countered, "Don't lie, Blue. You think that rule is stupid just like the rest of us. We're practically trainers now, so what would it hurt to go into the tall grass?"

"No guys, I didn't want to go into the grass, I was just seeing if maybe there was a pokémon nearby!" Red tried to explain. He was promptly ignored as Leaf and Blue continued their conversation.

"You do have a point… besides, what's the worst that could happen? We get attacked by a Pidgey or a Rattata or something? We can handle that. They already come into town on their own anyways."

"That's right! The grown ups are always keeping us cooped up in town. I want to explore the field!"

"Let's go then!" Blue yelled, running into the tall grass.

"Wait for us!" Leaf called as she shoved Red into the tall grass and ran after Blue.

"Guys! I never wanted this to happen!" Red protested, stumbling after his friends. How had things escalated so quickly?

"Quit whining, Red!" Leaf called back to him, "Be a little adventurous! It'll be fun!"

"It won't be fun when our parents find out," Red muttered, but he ran after them nonetheless. There was so much to see. Sure, they had all gone out into the fields before with the adults, but on their own it just seemed like there was a lot more to explore.

"Check out that tree!" Blue exclaimed. At the edge of the field was a tree about twenty feet high with lots of branches that looked perfect for climbing. "Last one to the top is a rotten Eggsecute!" he teased, dashing off towards the tree.

"It won't be me!" Leaf challenged.

"Me either!" Red yelled, taking off alongside Leaf. Even though he still felt nervous about breaking the rules, he still wanted to have fun with his friends. He reached the tree just before Leaf, grabbing onto a low branch and hoisting himself up. Blue was right above him, and he tried to climb faster so that he could catch up.

In the end, Blue beat him to the top, but at least he hadn't been last. The two of them took a seat on a wide branch, enjoying the feeling of being up high. Below them, Leaf was only about half way up the tree.

"Seriously, who climbs a tree wearing flip-flops?" Blue laughed, "Hey, Red, I have an idea." Blue leaned in close to Red and whispered something so that Leaf couldn't hear him.

"Blue, are you crazy!?" Red whispered furiously.

"Shut up! Here she comes! Just play along, okay?"

"That wasn't fair! If I'd known we'd be climbing today, I would have worn sneakers," Leaf huffed.

"Too bad, Leaf. You're the rotten Eggsecute and you know it," Blue smirked, "Come and sit with us. The view is really nice from up here."

Glaring at the boy, Leaf climbed up onto the branch they were sitting on and squeezed between the two boys. While the tree was about twenty feet high, they were only sitting about ten feet up. The branches got thinner up top and they could never hope to climb much higher than they had.

"You're right, Blue, it is nice up here," Leaf admitted.

"Just don't look down," Blue laughed.

"What do you meeeaaaaan?!" Leaf screamed as Blue suddenly shoved her backwards, causing her to fall from the branch. He had grabbed her leg as he pushed her and Red had grabbed her other one. He held onto it for dear life, terrified that she would fall.

Blue laughed hysterically as Leaf was now hanging upside down, her arms flailing desperately.

"Blue! Red! Help me!" she yelled. Red felt horrible. He knew that she was really scared, and his own heart was pounding wildly. What was Blue thinking? This was stupid and dangerous!

"Pull me up!" Leaf demanded. She had stopped flailing her arms, and Red felt his heart calm down a bit. She was a lot easier to hold onto now. BLue just chuckled and shook his head.

"We'll let you up when we're good and ready," he teased. As for what happened next, Red still to this day didn't know if it was part of Blue's original plan or if he had just decided to do it on a whim.

Leaf's skirt was just barely being held between her two legs. Quite easily, Blue reached down and pulled it from between her thighs, causing the whole garment to flip down over her waist. Red stared in shock as they both now had a full view of Leaf's white cotton panties.

"I am going to kill both of you!" Leaf raged, flailing her arms again. Blue laughed harder than ever, while Red continued to stare at Leaf's lower end. He knew that he shouldn't be seeing this but he found it impossible to tear his eyes away.

"Let me down! Blue, Red, if you don't let me down I'm going to tell!"

"Tattletail…" Blue muttered. For the most part, the three of them had a silent agreement that tattling was not allowed. If Leaf was using it as a threat, it meant that she was serious. The two of them grabbed Leaf's arms and pulled her up, which was a little bit difficult, but they managed.

Red stared fearfully at Leaf. He didn't know if Leaf's face was so red because the blood had rushed to it while hanging upside down, or if she was just so angry that it was about to explode.

"I hate you guys so much!" she fumed.

"Oh, don't be like that," Blue said dismissively.

"Like what?" Leaf asked, "Like this?"

In one swift motion, Leaf pushed Gary forwards, causing him to fall off of the branch. Nobody grabbed his legs though. He fell downwards, grabbing a branch along the way and slipping off. At the bottom of the tree he lay in a heap, disoriented.

"Come on, Red. Let's go," Leaf said. The two of them scurried down the tree, and Leaf ran off into the tall grass when they reached the bottom.

"Are you okay, Blue?" Red asked.

"Yes."

"Okay then bye!" Red ran after Leaf, leaving his best friend to suffer alone. Red only knew one thing, and that was if he wanted to survive, he'd need to be on Leaf's side of this fight.

Once they were far enough away from Blue that they knew he couldn't follow them, Leaf grabbed Red by the front of his shirt and pulled his face up to hers.

"Alright, start talking," she growled, "Why did you guys do that to me?"

"It was Blue's idea! I didn't want to do it! I only grabbed your leg because I didn't want you to fall!" he insisted.

"Okay, I'll believe that," Leaf said, but not letting go of his shirt, "But which one of you idiots flipped my skirt down?"

"That was him too! I'd never do something like that!"

Leaf stared into his eyes intently. Slowly, he saw her anger fade away and her grip loosened, letting him go.

"Fine. I forgive you, but I'm still mad at Blue."

"To tell the truth I'm kind of mad at him too," Red admitted.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a splash. They hadn't even realized that they were standing next to a small pond.

"Look at that!" Red shouted. The two of them saw a wild Dratini as it splashed out of the water and dived back under gracefully.

"It's amazing! I want to catch it!" Leaf said firmly.

"Catch it? How?"

"With this!" Proudly, Leaf held up a shiny new pokéball.

"Where did you get that?" Red gawked.

"I stole it from my mom when she was drunk. I told her that she had thrown it at a Spearow that kept flying into the window."

"And she believed you?"

"Yup." It was no secret in Pallet Town that Leaf's mom had a bit of a drinking problem. She wasn't an angry drunk, she was really a very nice lady, but her vice had caused more than a few concerns about Leaf being raised by her.

"I need you to make it jump out of the water," Leaf said.

"How are you going to catch a pokémon without battling it with a pokémon of your own?" Red asked.

"You'll be my pokémon, won't you, Red?" Leaf asked innocently.

"ME?"

"Here's some rocks. Now go get 'im!"

"I didn't agree to this!"

"Consider it your making things up to me for what you and Blue did earlier," she reasoned.

Curse Blue. Look at the mess he'd gotten Red into. Carefully, Red crept towards the water while Leaf stood by with the pokéball.

"I can't see it," he told her as he gazed down into the pond.

"Just chuck a rock in there," she suggested. Red did as he was told, but nothing happened. He tried another rock, but it still did no good.

"Maybe we just imagined it. I mean, Dratini aren't found in these parts anyways," Red commented.

"There's no way we both imagined that! Now keep chucking rocks!"

Red threw his last rock, and there were suddenly some bubbles on the surface of the water. The Dratini broke the surface, rising into the air. Red saw that a blue energy was gathering around its mouth.

"Leaf, look out!" he cried, throwing himself toward her. He crashed into her and they both fell into the grass, narrowly avoiding the pokémon's attack. Leaf's pokéball went flying out of her hand, becoming lost in the endless tall grass. The Dratini disappeared back into the pond, and Leaf groaned in disappointment.

"You made me lose my ball!" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"You were going to get hit by that Dragon Rage, what was I supposed to do?" Red said in his defense.

"I could've caught a rare pokémon and you blew it!" Leaf argued, ignoring him.

"I'll catch another Dratini for you someday, okay, Leaf?"

A mischievous smirk slowly spread across Leaf's face. Red didn't think that was a good sign.

"Promise you'll catch me one?" she asked.

"Cross my heart," he said.

"That's so sweet of you, Red. And don't you dare forget!" With that, Leaf gave him a quick kiss on the lips before running back in the direction of the tree. He stood there dumbfounded, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Leaf Green had just kissed him. And he felt like he couldn't be more pleased.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Red smiled at the memory that had just played in his head. Leaf had been his very first kiss. It had been a weird kiss, but still a kiss nonetheless. It had been so playful and so pure. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss her now that they were grown up.

As he recalled the events of that day, he suddenly felt bad that he had never caught a Dratini for her. He had almost forgotten about it a few times, but every now and then the memory would pop into his head and remind him.

"That's what I'll do," he whispered to himself. He had time. Leaf had done a lot for him the past few days, and even if this trip had been a crazy and mostly unpleasant experience for him, he still wanted to thank her.

Grabbing his pokégear from his pocket, Red turned and began to walk towards the Pokémon Center. He dialed a number and waited while it rang.

"What's up, Red? Do you need something?" a voice asked.

"Hey, Lance. Yeah, I actually need a quick favor. Would it be possible for you to give me one of the Dratini you've bred?"

"Sure, no problem. Where should I send it to?"

"The Pokémon Center in Lumiose City. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Can do, Red. You'd better take good care of it."

"It's for a friend, actually. But don't worry, she'll take great care of it."

"Alright, Red. It'll be at the Center when you get there."

"Thanks."

Red beamed happily as he made his way to the Center. Leaf was going to be so surprised. And maybe, if he was lucky, she just might kiss him again as a thank you.

"Wait, did I really just think that?" Red thought. Did he want Leaf to kiss him?

Maybe he did. Maybe what this week had made him realize was that he really liked his childhood friend. Or maybe he hadn't liked her at the beginning of the week, but he did now. This morning he had told himself that he wouldn't act on those feelings, but he was slowly beginning to realize that he liked her a lot more than he'd understood.

Yes, he liked Leaf Green. He liked the way that she was always teasing him and he liked the way that she looked in a tight black dress or an old green bathrobe. He wanted to take her out on dates and treat her like she was special and kiss her without it feeling weird.

He wanted her. All of her. And he had been holding himself back from that truth all day, with good reason. There was simply no way that somebody like her could ever want to be with him. She may have changed in the past few days, but one truth still stood. She had brought him here in the first place because she felt he was inadequate. And there was nothing that he could do to fix that. No matter what he did, he was still just Red Ketchum. He could never be the kind of exciting guy that Leaf wanted and needed in her life. That fact stood tall like a sheet of steel between them.

Red's pace slowed as he came to his conclusion. He would give Leaf this gift to thank her. He would spend one final day with her tomorrow. And then he would go home and rededicate himself to his training and his job as champion.

He could not fall in love with Leaf Green. And that was that.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Yep. Major cliffhanger. I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist. There are only two chapters left after this and we'll be all done though! I'm kind of sad but also kind of happy.**

 **I really hope you guys like this chapter. It took me a while to get it out but I did it. I'm sorry that my updates are so slow :(**

 **Thank you to all of my readers, I'm so glad that this story is doing well. I never expected it to generate the amount of interest it has, and I'm so glad. I mean, it started as something I was writing for losing a bet, but I've really ended up putting a lot more time and effort into this than I ever thought I would. So thank you all for making that possible.**

 **And of course, special thanks to Bass0bassinum. He helped me with the flashback scene. Not the panties thing though, that was all me ;) He had the idea of a failed capture, and together we came up with the idea of Dratini being that pokémon.**

 **Okay, this endnote is getting too long. Thanks guys! See you next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9: Can't Help Falling in Love

**Hey everyone! I know it's been a while, and I know that chapter 8 ended on a slightly suspenseful note, but now you finally get chapter 9! Yay!**

 **I just want to thank you guys for all of the positive feedback this story has been getting. I truly appreciate it. I got an ungodly amount of favs and follows in the time between now and last chapter, so thank you for that as well.**

 **Okay, now for what you really want. Enjoy ;)**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As Leaf arrived home, she took a deep breath. She didn't feel very prepared for what she was about to do, but she had promised herself that she was going to do it. This was her one chance. The one chance for Red and herself to get together if they were going to. If she put it off there would never be another opportunity. They had both said that they were ready to find somebody special in their lives, and if that somebody wasn't going to be each other then it wouldn't be long before it was somebody else.

Shakily, she opened the door to her apartment. It was now or never.

Leaf was surprised when she swung her door open only to have it be stopped abruptly.

"Ow…" she heard a voice groan.

"Oh my god, Red! I'm sorry!" she apologized, rushing inside. Red was rubbing his shoulder where the door had hit him, "Why were you standing by the door?"

"Because I just got here myself," he answered as he hung up his jacket. Once again, Leaf admired the way his body looked through his tight t-shirt. He was by no means ripped, but he had just enough definition to be sexy.

"So where did you go off to then?" she asked, hanging up her hat as she spoke.

"The Pokémon Center. I needed something delivered. And then I stopped by a couple other places on my way back," he said casually.

Leaf thought that it sounded like Red was hiding something. There was a slight difference in his voice that seemed to tip him off, but she wasn't going to ask about that right now.

"How about you?" he asked her, "Did you get enough alone time? I hope you're feeling better."

"Yes, I just needed some time to think about a few things. I feel eighty percent better."

"Only eighty percent?"

"Does anybody ever really feel one-hundred percent better?"

"I suppose you have a point." Red smiled at her. She could tell that he was relieved now that she was okay again. It was so sweet of him to worry about her.

"So where did you go?" he asked.

"Actually, I ended up getting a haircut."

"It doesn't look any different."

"That's because I have it tied back, silly. Besides, it was just a trim anyway. It shouldn't look very different, just more aligned."

"Let's see it then."

Leaf blushed as Red reached behind her and gently tugged the hair tie down her smooth brunette ponytail. This was the kind of thing that happened in romance movies and books, and Leaf now understood why. It just felt so intimate.

"It's nice," Red commented as he fanned her hair out around her shoulders.

"Thanks. The ends were getting a bit tattered before."

"Never even noticed. Hey, you know what? Your hair kind of looked good when it was up. Like a sexy librarian."

"Is that one of your fetishes, Red?"

"That's beside the point."

Leaf blushed even more as Red gathered up her hair again and held it up behind her head.

"All you need is a pair of thick rimmed glasses."

"I never knew you were into the nerd look," Leaf teased, brushing his hands away and fixing her hair. Red was being kind of bold right now. He was also being romantic, and it was making Leaf's hopes soar. Maybe… Could he actually feel the same way about her that she did? There had been an increasing amount of physical contact between them the past few days. Most of it had been Leaf teasing him, but now… maybe there was more to it than that.

"Let's sit on the couch," Red suggested, moving over to where he normally slept. Leaf's heart fluttered in her chest. Why did he want to sit down with her? Was there something he needed to say? She complied, and followed him over to the couch. They both sat down and turned towards one another.

"Leaf, I have something to say to you," Red started.

Oh my god. What if he really was going to tell her that he liked her? Leaf felt like she was fifteen again and her first crush was about to ask her out. It would be so perfect. Maybe they had both come home with the intention of admitting their feelings for one another.

"I've had a great time staying here with you. I mean, mostly," he chuckled, "I think we both got a lot out of this visit, and I'm really glad that I came."

"Me too," Leaf said, smiling at him. Her heart was beating faster with every word he said.

"I know we only have one more day together, and that's why I went to the Pokémon Center tonight. I had something delivered and it's a gift for you. I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me this past week."

Red reached over to the coffee table and grabbed a wrapped box that had been sitting there. Leaf had been so caught up in what was happening that she hadn't even noticed it.

"Here. Open it," Red said, holding it out to her. Leaf happily accepted the box and she opened it up excitedly. What had he gotten for her? Was this gift going to be the way he would ask her to be his girlfriend? Was he even going to ask at all? Leaf's thoughts were all over the place.

Taking the lid off of the box, Leaf was surprised to see a pokéball in the center surrounded by an assortment of candy.

"My god, Red! What did you get me?"

"Open the pokéball and you'll find out," he answered.

Curiously, Leaf took the ball and opened it up, watching in anticipation as the red light formed into the creature that was inside.

"Dratini!" the Pokémon said happily.

"Oh. My. God," Leaf said, a huge smile spreading across her face, "I thought you had forgotten!"

"Forget? Never!" Red said proudly, "I always keep my promises! And it's a top of the line Dratini bred by Lance himself nonetheless."

"But Red," Leaf said, tapping her chin innocently, "Didn't you promise to _catch_ a Dratini for me?"

"Minor detail!" Red said, his face going flush.

"Don't worry, I'm just teasing you," Leaf reassured him, "Thank you so much." With that, she returned the pokémon to its pokéball. She was excited about her new partner, but right now she needed to focus on Red. And then maybe she would have two new partners. Damn, that sounded cheesy.

"I actually have something to give you as well," she told him, "I was going to give it to you tomorrow, but now seems like a better opportunity." She rushed into her bedroom for a moment and took something out of her closet. She was really excited to give it to Red, because she knew that he was going to love it. She walked back out into her living room and retook her seat next to him.

"This is for you, Red," she said, blushing slightly as she handed the box to him. She noticed that he was blushing a little bit too. He opened the box carefully, and when he looked inside she could see his eyes light up with excitement.

"Leaf, is this? –"

"Yes. It's Charizardite and a keystone."

"So with this, I can mega-evolve Charizard?"

"Yep. Well, as long as the two of you have a strong enough bond."

Leaf was startled as Red leapt to his feet, running over to the door where his shoes were.

"Come on, Leaf! I have to try this right now!"

"Right now?" Leaf asked in shock. No! This wasn't how things were supposed to go! She was so close to telling him how she felt about him and the moment was ruined!

"Don't you want to see it too?" Red asked excitedly.

"Well of course, but I –"

"Then let's go!" Red shouted, running out the door, "We'll have a battle!"

"I can't believe this," Leaf groaned. Leave it to Red to let a battle get in the way of an important moment.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Okay, so how do I attach the Charizardite to Charizard?" Red asked. He and his partner were standing in the battle square near Leaf's apartment building.

"You can do it several ways," Leaf explained, "It really doesn't matter how you guys wear the stones, as long as they're close to your body. I've seen trainers wear their keystones as necklaces, pins, earrings, bracelets, or they just put them on an item that they always have on hand. I even saw this one annoying guy with a Sceptile using his as a bookmark. As for the mega stone, you just need Charizard to wear it somehow. I've put your keystone in a wristband for now, just like mine. As for the Charizardite…" Leaf thought for a moment.

"I'd recommend a necklace or bracelet for Charizard. That way it won't get in the way while it's battling. Here, you can use this for now." Leaf pulled a black cloth out of her purse. She slid it onto Charizard's wrist, and Red brought her the Charizardite which she fitted onto a holder on the cloth, "You can buy mega stone holders like these at some of the shops around here. Finding the right size for your pokémon can be tricky, but this one seems to fit Charizard pretty well for now."

The dragon stared at the stone on its wrist intently. She could see the pokémon's desire for power. Leaf was slightly nervous though. She knew that Red and Charizard had a strong bond, but would it be strong enough for mega evolution? She remembered their battle back in Pallet Town and how Charizard had set fire to the field behind Red's house. If a mega Charizard set fire to Lumiose City it could be a big problem.

But she trusted Red. Everything was going to be fine.

Red must have been thinking the same thing, because as he stared down at the stone in his hand, he began to speak.

"Charizard," he began, his voice filled with resolve, "The past few years, I haven't been the best trainer towards you. When we became partners thirteen years ago, I made you a promise. I vowed that we would become as strong as we possibly could. But in the past few years, you haven't been challenged. I haven't pushed you to become stronger. And somewhere along the way, you lost your respect for me as your master. I'm… sorry."

The dragon snorted and turned towards Red. Leaf watched quietly, observing the bond between Red and his pokémon. She could see that the man had tears in his eyes.

"With these stones, we can become stronger than ever. But before we can do that, I need to know that you still have faith in me. I need to know… that I haven't completely lost your trust."

For a moment, there was only silence. Charizard stared at Red intently, and Red stared back with determination. Leaf's heart swelled with happiness as the pokémon reached out its fist towards Red. With a smile, Red bumped his own fist against Charizard's.

"Thank you!" Red cried, hugging his Pokémon. The dragon nuzzled him back affectionately. Leaf just smiled at the sight. This was the Red she remembered. This was the Red who loved his Pokémon and worked tirelessly to grow stronger alongside them. They were ready. Ready for mega evolution.

"Okay, Charizard! It's time!" Red shouted as the two pulled away from each other. He held his arm into the air and touched the keystone with his opposite hand, "Mega evolve!"

Charizard's mega stone responded to Red's keystone, causing multi-colored lights to swirl around the both of them. Leaf held on to her hat as warm air swirled around her. The energy from mega evolution was so strong that it could nearly blow people over.

Charizard's tail flame grew more intense, and flames protruded from the sides of its mouth where it's fangs hung down. The color of its scales transformed from bright orange to charcoal gray, and the flames became blue and gorgeous. Soon, the lights and wind settled down, leaving an almost completely different looking Pokémon before them.

"Incredible!" Red breathed. Charizard let out a mighty roar, and the two of them were completely captivated by the power before them.

"You did it!" Leaf cheered, "Way to go, Charizard! Oh, and you too, Red." She smirked as Red rolled his eyes. Just because she had admitted her feelings to herself, it didn't mean that she had to stop teasing him. She'd never stop teasing him as long as she lived.

"Well, Leaf?" he asked, "Are you ready to battle against my mega Charizard?"

"You'd better believe it, Red," she said with confidence, "Don't forget that when it comes to mega evolution, you're a total newb."

"That may be so, but I'm a great battler and I'm the master of winging it! So you'd better be ready for my awesomeness to blow your panties right off!"

"What the hell, Red?!" Leaf asked, unable to hide her laughter, "I don't know whether to be mad at you or just pity your poor attempt at sounding like a badass!"

"Shut up! I take it back, okay?" he laughed along with her.

"Okay, but just this once. No more taking things back next time you say something stupid!"

"Just get to the other side of the field already!" Red said, pushing her lightly in that direction.

"Fine, fine!" she conceded.

Once she was standing in the other challenger's block, she released her own Pokémon.

"Venusaur, go! And now, mega evolve!" As her Pokémon transformed before her, she felt her gut rush with excitement. Six days ago, she had battled Red, and it had been a huge disappointment. But she knew that this battle would be different. This would be nearly as exciting as when she had challenged him for the title of Kanto Champion thirteen years ago. But this time, she was going to be the victor.

"Ladies first!" Red called out to her.

"Why thank you!" she shouted back, "Venusaur, use Petal Dance!" Vines protruded from the plant on Venusaur's back and it began to wave them rhythmically. A cloud of petals appeared around it and swirled towards Charizard like a tornado.

"Fly into the air, Charizard, and then use flamethrower!" The dragon ascended into the sky, easily dodging the petal dance. Moments later it released a stream of fire towards Venusaur.

"Use poisonpowder like a shield!" Leaf commanded. A strong cloud of purple powder puffed out of the plant on Venusaur's back. When the flames hit it, the powder burned and released a lavender steam which began to rise up towards Charizard. Red was quick to catch on though.

"Use your wings to blow those fumes away, Charizard!" The Pokémon flapped its wings and created a strong gust of wind which blew the fumes away.

"Nice counter, Red!" Leaf complimented, "But let's see you counter this! Vine whip!"

Venusaur's vines extended from its back, rushing up towards Charizard. They wrapped around the pokémon's legs and yanked it towards the ground.

"Mega punch towards the ground!" Red yelled. Charizard's glowing fist slammed into the ground before it's body could. The Pokémon still took some damage, but not as much as Leaf had intended.

"Now use fire blast!" An enormous flame burst from Charizard's mouth and rushed towards Venusaur.

"Let it hit you, Venusaur!" Leaf said firmly. She knew that they couldn't dodge the powerful fire attack. They needed to think of a comeback fast.

As the hot blue fire consumed her plant Pokémon, she desperately tried to think of her next move. Nothing seemed like a viable plan.

"Shit, shit, shit," she chanted to herself.

"Charizard, use Mega Punch!" Red commanded. Leaf cursed. He had taken her hesitation and used it as an opportunity for another attack. But maybe this was the break she needed.

"Use vine whip!" she yelled. Venusaur extended its vines toward the rushing Charizard, wrapping them around its outstretched fist, "Now pull up!"

Venusaur jerked its vines upward, sending Charizard up and over it, then slamming the other Pokémon into the ground behind it.

"Charizard!" Red called out with concern. The pokémon grunted and stood to its feet, giving its trainer a reassuring look.

"Leaf, your Venusaur really knows how to use that vine whip attack," Red complimented.

"We spent years perfecting that technique," she bragged.

"I'm impressed, but you seem to have overlooked something quite important."

"What do you mean?" she asked, honestly confused.

"Charizard is behind Venusaur now."

It took a moment for Leaf to realize what Red meant by that. And then she understood. Venusaur is unable to turn around quickly, so as soon as Charizard made an attack, it would hit her pokémon right in the weak spot.

"Use fire blast!" Red shouted triumphantly. Leaf could only watch as her Pokémon was once again consumed by blue flames. When the fire died down, her Pokémon collapsed, smoke rising from its charred body. It glowed and sparkled as it returned to its normal state from its mega-evolved state. She had lost. And she had never felt more breathless in her life. She wasn't even upset. All Leaf felt was pride and joy for her childhood friend.

"You won, Red! You really won!" she shouted gleefully. As fast as she could, she returned Venusaur to its pokéball and quickly thanked it for its hard work, then she ran across the battlefield towards Red.

"What are you doing, Leaf?" he called out before she finally reached him, leaping into his arms. Shocked and confused, all he could do was just stand there and hold on to her so that she wouldn't fall.

"Red, you're a champion again!" she laughed happily.

"I never stopped being one," he corrected her.

"You know what I mean!"

Red was silent for a moment, and then he looked up at the smiling face that was glowing joyously down on him. He couldn't help but smile back.

"I've found my passion for battling again, Leaf!" he laughed. He hugged his arms tighter around her waist and then spun them around.

"Red!" Leaf shrieked in surprise. She batted his hat off his head childishly, but he didn't seem to care. His arms only tightened around her further. He was so strong. She wasn't sure if he would ever let her go. That would be okay though, because she didn't want him to.

If only this moment could last forever. The both of them were so happy right now, and her body was pressed close to his. She could feel her body temperature rising and all she wanted to do now was tell him how she felt. To tell him how much she loved him. But she couldn't. If she told him right now then it might ruin this perfect moment.

Eventually, Red sat her back down on the ground. They both still had smiles on their faces.

"It's getting dark out," he said.

Leaf hadn't even noticed, but the fading orange light of the sun was just barely visible along the rooftops and the battle field was mostly illuminated by Charizard's flames.

"Let's go back inside," she suggested, "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's order a pizza or some Chinese or something."

"That doesn't sound like Kalos cuisine," Red teased as he returned Charizard to its pokéball.

"As I've told you before, this city has everything," Leaf said with a smile.

"Well, I'm all for pizza," Red said happily. With that, they began to walk back to her apartment building. It had gotten chilly outside but Leaf felt warm instead. She could feel her nerves standing on end again. Once they were back inside, she would have to tell Red about her feelings for him. She had promised herself that she would. The chips were down. It was now or never.

Now or never… it was a phrase that people used often, but she had never truly understood it until this moment. The pressure, the urgency, the doubt, the hesitation – it all hit her in rapid succession over and over until her body felt beaten by her own thoughts. Gain a lover, or lose a friend. Those were the two possible outcomes of this night, and the thought made her skin crawl. And what if she did gain Red as her boyfriend? It could still crash and burn a few months or even a few years from now. And then she would lose him regardless of whatever happened tonight. But was it worth it? Was the possibility of loving Red worth the risk of losing him – the risk of having her heart broken by him?

Yes. Yes, it certainly was. And any minute now she would move her chess pieces on the board of life so that Red had the opportunity for checkmate. The only question was whether or not he would take that opportunity.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'll get that pizza ordered," Leaf said as they walked through the door of her apartment. Red took off his jacket and hung it beside the door.

"Okay. I'm just going to use the bathroom real quick," Red said casually. Leaf nodded and dialed a number on her pokégear. Red slipped into the bathroom quietly.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Red released an enormous sigh. He had been holding that in all night. It was a mixture of exasperation, confusion, and relief.

"Mew be damned," he muttered as he braced his arms on the sink, "How does she do it? How does she make me want her so much?"

He stared back at his reflection. It seemed like he had been doing that a lot lately.

"What do you want?" he asked the man in the mirror, "We decided that we could never be with her. So why does it feel like we're teetering on the edge of asking her to be our girlfriend?"

All evening Red had been sensing that Leaf had something she wanted to say to him. There was a hopeful fluttering in his chest that she wanted to tell him that she had feelings for him. The way her eyes had sparkled when he gave her the Dratini, and the way she had jumped into his arms after their battle… The Leaf he knew would never be excited about losing, and yet she had been ecstatic about his victory.

"What if she's still just teasing me?" he pondered. That could be it. This whole past week she had been teasing him. It was practically a way of life for her. She came off as flirtatious to most people without even trying. And the way she had been brushing up against him was just part of her nature too. He'd seen her do it before on dozens of occasions to other men, mostly when she wanted something from them.

"Does she want something from me?" he wondered, "She wouldn't be after my money, would she? No. That's too low, even for her. I don't have much else to my name aside from that, so maybe… maybe she really does like me."

It just seemed too far-fetched. When he pictured Leaf with a partner, he imagined a man who was drop-dead gorgeous just like her, and a man with a high IQ and high social standing. Red wasn't too far off the mark. He was decently attractive, smart, and he had one of the highest social standings of all. The thing was that he wasn't suited to that kind of life. He didn't know proper etiquette in formal situations, but he somehow always got by. He wasn't culturally well rounded. Sure, he liked to read and he kept up with the news, but Leaf seemed so incredibly versatile. She knew a lot about art and music and food and who knew what else? He had no idea how she had come to be that way. Their childhoods had been, more or less, the same.

None of that mattered right now though. He couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. He needed to ask himself how he really felt.

"How do we really feel?" he asked himself in the mirror. Unfortunately, his double wasn't very helpful in giving an answer.

"Well, I don't know about you," he said, "but… I think I might be in love with Leaf Green. Okay, maybe not in love, but… I like her. A lot." There it was. He had said it out loud, and nothing rings more solemn in one's ears than the truth.

"What am I supposed to do about it? I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. If I were to admit my feelings to Leaf, and she felt the same way, that would be great. But if she rejects me I will never live it down. There's no way that our friendship could survive something like that. It would be over for us. I don't know if I'm willing to take that chance."

His time was up. He'd been in the bathroom too long as it was. Red flushed the toilet and washed his hands so that Leaf wouldn't be suspicious about why he had gone into the bathroom but made no noise.

When he emerged, Leaf was in the kitchen pouring two beer cans into glasses.

"More alcohol, Leaf?" he asked.

"It's just beer. You can't have pizza without beer, sweetie."

There it was again. That flirtatiousness.

"So what are we going to do tomorrow?" Red asked casually, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"I've saved the best for last. So it's a secret," Leaf told him with a wink.

"Another secret? Leaf you've put me through enough suspense already this week."

"Just trust me, okay?"

"Fine."

For a while, they let silence pass between them while Leaf got out some plates and napkins. She finally sat down across the table from him.

"Waiting is hard," she said.

"It'll be here in like fifteen minutes," Red deadpanned.

"I just mean, in like, the philosophical sense," she explained, "Waiting for something that you really want is hard. You keep waiting and waiting… hoping that it might finally happen but then you realize that you have to take action in order to get what you're waiting for. But life makes things even more complicated. There are risks. There's disappointment. And that's what makes waiting practically impossible. Life pushes you over the edge in many ways. Some people give up. Some people stop caring. Some people get forced into things they never wanted to do. Some people have to make decisions without really making a decision at all. Because we spend all this time waiting until there's no more time left."

"Leaf… what are you saying?" Red could feel his heart begin to pound again. Leaf wasn't making a whole lot of sense, but she always seemed to talk like this when she was dealing with emotions. Could this be the moment where she confessed her feelings?

"I've been waiting for my life to settle. And I thought that by moving here and taking a job with the Professor I could settle and find my home. But I don't want to just live here, and work. I'm ready for… something more."

"I have the opposite problem," Red told her, "My life has been settled for years, but not permanently settled. Well, at least I hope not. I have my career. I live with Mom and that's fine by me. But after getting away from that life for a few days… I find myself wanting more."

"More," Leaf echoed.

"More."

Another moment of silence passed by, and they looked into each others eyes as though they were both searching for something. Red took the time to study his companion. She was so beautiful, and he was once again reminded of his inferiority. But something was different about her right now. She seemed vulnerable. Even shy, as she had been speaking. That was so unlike Leaf.

"Let's go watch TV until the pizza arrives," Leaf suddenly said, and she stood up and walked into the living room.

That was strange. What could they possibly watch for ten minutes that would be worth watching? He was slightly disappointed. It had seemed like all of that talking was leading up to something, but now it was over. Maybe he had missed his chance. Red got up and followed her into the living room, and she plunked down onto the couch carelessly. He sat down beside her. She flipped through the channels until they found some random anime that neither of them had seen before.

"When you watch this stuff, do you find yourself staring at the boobs?" Leaf asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Red asked incredulously.

"You didn't answer. That means you do!"

There was the normal Leaf. That was a fast recovery.

"Fine. I do stare at the boobs. I'm a perverted young man who likes anime titties and hentai."

Leaf busted out laughing. She laughed so hard that she nearly fell onto him. Red couldn't help it. He burst out in laughter as well.

"It's just… you…" Leaf choked on her laughter, "You said it so seriously!"

"May as well be honest!" Red answered, his own laughter dying down, "And you know what I think? I think you like anime titties too."

"Maybe I do," she said slyly, her smile turning a bit crooked. Red couldn't help but find her incredibly sexy in that moment.

"Hey, Red…" Leaf said shyly. There was that bashfulness again. Her cheeks were even dusted with a very faint blush. Where was that coming from?

"What is it?" he asked, noticing that Leaf was slightly leaning towards him. He suddenly felt very nervous.

"I'm glad that we can laugh together like this. And talk so… openly."

"It is nice, isn't it?" he agreed, "I think you're a lot of fun."

"I like you, Red."

Before he knew what was happening, she was kissing him. His mind was spinning with ten thousand questions but all he knew was that Leaf was kissing him and he couldn't possibly comprehend why. Like a fool, he just sat there and let it happen. He was too stunned to push her away, let alone reciprocate if he wanted to. _Did_ he want to? He wasn't sure. He liked her too, but this was a bit sudden.

Eventually, Leaf pulled her mouth off of his, but she didn't move. She just breathed shallowly for a moment before slowly drawing away. There was a look of terror on her face. He supposed that his own face looked quite similar.

"You don't like me back, do you?" she asked hollowly. Red wanted to protest. He wanted to tell her that wasn't the case but he was still frozen.

Just then they were interrupted by the doorbell. Damn pizza.

"I – I'll get it!" he sputtered, jumping up to answer the door. He pulled open the door to be greeted by what had to be the most stereotypical pizza guy ever. It was some lame looking teenager with nerdy glasses and acne all over his face. His voice even cracked when he spoke.

Red was too distracted to think about it much, so he just pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and gave it to the kid before grabbing the pizza and unintentionally slamming the door. Oh well. At least the kid got a generous tip.

When Red finally turned around, Leaf was nowhere in sight.

"Shit," he muttered. He quickly set the pizza box down on the counter top and then ran to Leaf's bedroom. There she was, lying face down on her bed sobbing into her pillow. Every man's living nightmare.

"Leaf…" Red whispered gently. She didn't respond. Red felt horrible seeing her cry. He'd already made her cry once this week. Making her cry twice felt like committing a federal crime.

Slowly, he moved over to her bed and sat down beside her. Not knowing exactly what to do, he stroked her hair and quietly shushed her.

"Leaf…" he said as she began to calm down, "You don't need to cry. Everything's okay."

Like lightning she sat up and turned to face him.

"No it's not! I just made a fool out of myself and I've ruined our friendship too! You probably hate me!"

"I do not hate you!" he protested, "I… I like you. I like you a whole lot, Leaf."

"You're just saying that."

"No! I'm being honest, I promise!"

"Then why didn't you kiss me back, you jerk? A girl kisses you, you kiss back!"

"It literally came out of nowhere! You don't tell somebody that you like them and then start mauling them with your lips before they even get a chance to respond!"

"Mauling?"

"Okay, okay, I exaggerated! Sue me!"

Leaf let out a soft sniffle, but a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"So you really do like me?" she asked.

"Yes. I really do," he answered, trying to sound sincere.

"Red… oh, Red…" she wrapped her arms around his torso and he happily held her close to him, "You're right. I don't know why I kissed you. It's just… I've been trying to tell you how I feel all night and I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I'm sorry if it freaked you out."

"It's okay, Leaf… I've been holding my feelings back all night too."

This wasn't the first time they had hugged, but this was the first, genuine, love inspired embrace that they had shared. It felt warm, and safe. Red didn't ever want to let go.

"I want you to be my girlfriend," Red told her, "I want it more than anything, but…"

"But what?" Leaf asked, pulling away.

"Are you sure that I'm good enough for you? Am I attractive enough? Am I sophisticated enough for somebody like you?"

"As if any of that stuff matters," Leaf said reassuringly, "Look, I like you for who you are, Red. And I would be proud to hold your hand no matter where we go. I want everybody to know that you're my guy."

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," he told her. Once again he pulled her into an embrace. She giggled and hugged him back.

"Will the distance be a problem for you?" she asked him.

"I don't think so. I'm willing to travel, and I assume that you are as well, right?"

"Of course. Mom always wants me to come home more anyways," she said, "And it's really not that far."

"Then how do we make this official?" Red asked.

"Well… we could try that kiss again," Leaf said mischievously.

"As you wish," Red whispered. They leaned towards one another and gently pressed their lips together. It was the first kiss – well, sober kiss - that Red had experienced in a long time, and he felt a bit awkward as he remembered what it felt like to make out with a girl. Lips were cool, and a little wet. It felt nice to press his mouth against hers. To close his eyes and just get to know what it felt like to kiss her. Their lips moved together in unison. If one of them sped up or slowed down, the other would follow along.

The couple eventually had to stop for air, but then they would go right back to locking lips, completely engrossed in this new activity. They ended up laying side by side on the bed, still kissing each other. Once they got comfortable with each other, the kisses became more aggressive and passionate. Leaf ran her fingers through his hair and he pressed his hand into the small of her back, pushing her against him harder. His tongue dipped into her mouth ever so slightly and she let out a soft moan.

When Red felt her grab his wrist and place his hand over her left breast, he broke their kiss and sat up.

"What's wrong?" Leaf asked in confusion.

"I appreciate your offer, Leaf, but I'm not ready to touch you like that yet. You deserve better."

"Wow. A man who turns down an offer like that is… really sexy, if I'm being totally honest," she said.

Red kissed her forehead gently.

"I'm going to respect you. And treat you like the special person you are. Don't get me wrong, I want to touch you more than anything in the world, but… I want to get to know you even better before that happens."

"That's really sweet, Red. Thank you." Leaf kissed his lips once more before grabbing his hand and springing off of the bed.

"Our pizza is probably cold by now."

"Worth it," Red said cheekily. Leaf laughed.

"I agree." They walked to the kitchen hand in hand, and then they sat down at the table together.

"Our first meal as a couple. Pizza and beer," Red said warmly.

"What more could you ask for?" Leaf asked.

"Nothing as long as I have you," Red stated as he opened the box, "Except for there to not be mushrooms on our pizza! I hate mushrooms!"

"Suck it up, buttercup," Leaf said as she grabbed a slice of pizza, "You won't even taste them. There's pepperoni and sausage and peppers and all kinds of good stuff on here too."

"Fine. But if you ever order pizza with mushrooms again, this relationship is over," Red pouted.

"I'll keep that in mind if I ever want to break up. Hey!" Leaf shouted as Red flung a mushroom at her.

"You asked for it!" he said in his own defense.

"Well… if you ever throw food at me again then this relationship is over!"

"I'm glad that we're establishing these important rules," Red said, taking a bite of the pizza. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

Leaf smiled and reached her hand across the table. He gladly took it in his own. Looking into her eyes, he saw a happiness that he had never seen in them before. He hoped that it would never leave her.

Breaking their hands apart, he held up his glass of beer.

"To us?" he asked.

"To us," Leaf affirmed, holding up her own glass. They klinked them together and then took a sip. It may not be a traditional first date as a couple, but in that moment, there was nowhere that Red would rather be than in Leaf's apartment eating a shitty pizza and drinking cheap beer.

Nothing in his life had ever felt more right.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **There's only one more chapter left to this story. I'll probably have it up a bit sooner than usual (I've been known to lie about such things though). After talking with bass0bassinum about how to end this story (and the possibility of a sequel), I've come to the decision that there will be no sequel. To those of you who may have been hoping for that, I am sorry. However, I do want to have an epilogue chapter that will finish things out.**

 **So that means: we still have chapter 10 coming, and then an epilogue chapter, which will probably be shorter than regular chapters. Maybe half the size. We'll see.**

 **With that said, thanks again for all of the support you guys give to this! I never expected this story to do as well as it has, and I'm really excited to write up an ending for all of you :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Fools Fall in Love

**Hello everybody. Here it is. Chapter 10! The moment you've all been waiting for! I don't have a lot to say, other than that I'm sorry it took so long to get this up. I'm so bad at updating.**

 **Reminder, there will be an epilogue to this story, so you need to be on the lookout for one more update after this one! Enjoy!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Rise and shine!"

Red was startled awake by Leaf's sing-song voice and a pillow smacking him square in the face.

"What the hell!" he shouted, rolling off of the couch. Leaf laughed hysterically, but her amusement was to be short lived. In one swift motion Red yanked on the girl's leg, pulling her down on top of him.

"You know, you've been pretty naughty this week," he whispered into her ear. She giggled in response.

"Maybe I should punish you."

"Ooooh, I knew you had a fetish of some kind," Leaf teased.

"In all seriousness though, stop waking me up like that! It's bad for my health!"

"Classic whiny Red," Leaf pouted, "I want the kinky Red to come back!"

"Maybe another time," he said, pushing Leaf off of him and helping her onto her feet,

"You know that's not really my style. You're just starting to rub off on me."

"I'll just have to work harder to awaken your kinky side then," Leaf teased, wrapping her arms around him gently.

He pulled her close. This was nice. Being able to pull her into a hug without feeling self-conscious anymore was a luxury that he now prized above all else in his life. It meant more to him than his fame, his power, and his league title. All he wanted was her.

"I'm going to take a shower," Leaf told him as she pulled away from his arms, "breakfast is in the kitchen."

Red stretched happily and padded into the kitchen, his bare feet lightly thudding against the floor. He registered the smell of bacon. Hell yes.

He ate in silence, munching on a piece of toast thoughtfully. As great as it was to finally be dating Leaf, this unexpected turn of events had him at a bit of a loss as far as what to do now. He felt ready to do some hardcore training. He could do that when he returned home. But that didn't seem like enough. He needed a goal. He needed something to work towards. After he had become champion, he had lost his direction because he didn't have something new to achieve.

"Stop daydreaming. You have to get ready too!" Red was brought back to reality by Leaf's voice as she walked into the kitchen. She was running a comb through her wet hair and wearing her green bathrobe. A part of him was curious to know whether or not she was naked under there.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" he asked.

"Oh, I guess I can tell you. You've been such a good boy this week that I figured you deserved a reward."

Red felt himself blushing. Leaf wasn't… she couldn't be suggesting…

"So we're going to an arcade!" she revealed. Red let out the breath he had been holding. His guess hadn't even been close.

"An arcade, huh," he said nonchalantly, "I suppose that could be fun."

"It's going to be super fun!" Leaf insisted, "You'll understand when you see it!"

"I guess I'll just have to trust the expert," Red conceded. He got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading towards the bathroom, "I'll be ready soon," he promised her.

"There's no need to hurry," Leaf informed him, "The place doesn't even open until noon."

"Then I really don't see why you've woken me up so early!"

Leaf put on her best pouty face. "This is our last day together and I don't know when I'll get to see you again. You can't blame me for wanting to make the most of it!"

Red couldn't stay irritated at those big sad eyes.

"Oh… okay then," he said, pulling her into a hug. Her damp hair smelled wonderful, like coconut and pears. "Your wish is my command."

"Be careful what you say around me," Leaf warned, pulling away from him. I might just decide to take that too literally."

"After a week of your shenanigans I don't think you'd be too cruel to me," Red said confidently.

"Hmm… you never know…" The two of them leaned in and shared a kiss. It started off gently and then evolved into something deeper and more sensual.

"I love you," Leaf whispered as they broke apart.

"I love you too," Red returned, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. "Okay, now I really do need to take that shower."

"Why right now?" Leaf asked suspiciously.

"Well… let's just say that kiss really woke me up," Red said, blushing lightly, "Ummm…. _all_ of me."

Leaf let her eyes travel downwards for a second, and then laughed adorably. "You're so cute when you're awkward."

"Whatever," Red muttered good naturedly, walking out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. This was his last day here in Lumiose City. His last day with Leaf until they figured out how to manage their long-distance relationship. He wasn't particularly worried about it. It would be pretty easy to come visit each other for extended periods of time. And Red had a feeling that if all went well, Leaf would come and stay with him permanently after some time had passed.

In the mean time, he would focus on his training when he got home. He would start up a hardcore regimen for his pokémon and himself. He would become the strongest champion of them all.

But Red still needed that goal. Something he could work towards in order to achieve fulfillment through his training. As he entered the shower, Red thought hard about what that goal might me.

Under the steaming hot water, he reached an epiphany. The answer was so obvious that he couldn't believe it hadn't come to him sooner. This was it. He had his challenge set before him. And he would complete it at all costs.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"That's it!" a voice shouted from inside the bathroom. Leaf stared curiously at the door. What was that man up to now? He sure sounded excited.

The brunette-haired girl sipped her tea quietly. This was paradise.

Just a week ago the two of them had been such cool, calm, collected individuals. They had both been ridged as though they had something to prove. And now here they were, happy and laughing, ready to leave the past behind them. It was funny. She'd been with so many guys throughout her life, and she was no stranger to sex, but being with Red left Leaf feeling somewhat… innocent. Perhaps it was his own innocence rubbing off on her, but whenever he blushed about something sexual it made her stomach feel warm and nervous as well. She never thought that familiar territory like dating could feel so new and surprising.

Before too long, Red emerged from the bathroom, wearing nothing but his comfortable sweatpants. Leaf openly ogled his bare chest. He was no super model, but he was good-looking. He was sexy in an 'I don't care about how I look' way. She set her empty tea cup down and entered the living room so she could be with him.

Had it been anyone else, she'd be dragging him to her bedroom right this instant, but it wasn't anyone else. It was Red. His eyes looked over her and her eyes looked over him. She cupped his face in her hand before giving him a kiss.

"I could get used to this," she told him.

"I fully intend for you to get used to this," he replied. They stood in an embrace in the middle of the room. "What are we going to do all morning, mademoiselle?" he asked.

"I dunno. I like this just fine," Leaf sighed, snuggling her face against his body.

"Hmmm…" Red hummed in agreement.

Together they made their way towards Leaf's bed, not to make love, but to just lay beside each other and bask in their newfound happiness. With Red's arms wrapped around her, Leaf was sure of one thing. His arms were the safest place in the entire world.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What? You're not excited?"

"I just… really? You really want to do this on our last day together?

"Oh, come on! It will be fun!"

Before them stood a lively building with flashing lights and bright colors. The letters hanging above the entrance boldly proclaimed that it was the Sharpedo Sharkade. The doorway was designed to look as though customers were walking through the mouth of a gigantic Sharpedo. Inside the building, children and teenagers of all ages were running from game to game, making noise and having a good time.

"I don't know… I haven't been to a place like this since I was a kid," Red said dubiously. "Neither have I," Leaf admitted, "But I think it would be really fun."

"Well…"

"What? Are you scared?" Leaf challenged, poking Red in the chest.

"I'm not scared!" Red protested. He grabbed Leaf's hand and began walking through the entrance. "Let's kick these games' butts!"

Leaf laughed delightedly. Red was so adorable when he was being indignant. The two of them purchased some tokens and then scanned the arcade for something they wanted to play.

"There's a classic!" Leaf said excitedly, dragging Red over to a Whack-a-Drilbur game.

"A classic game all about pokémon cruelty," Red corrected her.

"Shut up and bash these little guys' heads in with me!" Leaf laughed as she put two tokens into the game. The two of them worked together to hit every single Drilbur that popped its head out.

"Got'cha ya little bastard!" Leaf shouted as she smashed the final Drilbur with her mallet.

"You're going to get us kicked out!" Red warned her.

"You worry too much," Leaf said nonchalantly, "You can pick the next game."

"Do they have skee-ball here?" Red asked as he looked around.

"Let's look around the back wall," Leaf suggested.

Surely enough, they found a row of skee-ball games. Leaf loved how Red's eyes were lighting up over something so simple.

"I'm the master of this game!" he proclaimed.

"We'll see about that!" Leaf said with a smirk. The two of them put tokens into two skee-ball machines. They each picked up their first ball and rolled them up the incline. Red's ball went into the 50 point slot, causing him to cheer.

"I got it in the 100 point slot!" Leaf said excitedly. She saw Red's happy expression turn to one of determination. She'd better step up her own game too.

They continued to roll their balls, each doing pretty well at racking up points. When they'd both finished, they frantically compared scores.

"Impossible!" Red protested. Leaf held in a laugh. She'd beat him by ten points. It was a small victory but she was pretty proud of it. Mostly she just loved messing with Red.

"Next game!" Red demanded childishly.

After that, Leaf and Red took turns picking out what games to try.

"We're piling up quite a lot of tickets," Leaf said happily.

"Our tokens are almost gone though," Red warned her, shaking the coins in his fist.

"We'd better make them count then," Leaf said thoughtfully. "Oh Red, how about a battle of wits?"

"Sounds good to me. What game are you talking about?"

"There's a connect four game over there," Leaf said as she pointed it out to him.

"This will be my sweet revenge for skee-ball earlier," Red informed her.

"Don't get a big head. Remember how that worked out for you earlier?"

"Silence, woman!"

"Oh please," Leaf said, rolling her eyes.

The two of them put their final tokens into the giant electronic connect four game. Leaf got the first move. As they took turns making their moves, Leaf glanced over at Red. His face was pure concentration. When he really focused on something, everything else got completely tuned out. It was kind of sexy in its own little way.

A few moves into the game, Leaf realized that she had Red cornered. No matter what move he made next she would have him beat. It almost felt wrong to win though. He was focusing so much and she had already one-upped him today. Should she throw the game? That didn't feel quite right either.

Oh, to hell with it. Red was making her soft. She needed to be herself and win this game and win it good.

"Hey Red," she said as she went to make her move, "I win." With that, she placed her next move, causing the screen to light up with her victory.

"This can't be real," Red muttered, resting his head on the control panel.

"Hey Red, isn't it great to have a girlfriend who has both brains and brawn?" Leaf asked.

"Fantastic," Red answered dryly.

"Oh… I love you Red," Leaf said, giving him a hug.

"I don't need your pity!" Red protested.

"Yes you do!" Leaf insisted, hugging him harder.

"Let's go turn in those tickets," Red suggested, finally giving her a small hug back. At least Red was good at bouncing back fast.

When they'd finished feeding all of their tickets into the machine, they had four-hundred fifty-three.

"Nice haul!" Leaf said enthusiastically, "Now let's go get a prize!"

"It's all yours, Leaf. Pick out whatever you like."

"Aww… thanks, Red!"

She walked towards the prize counter with a spring in her step. This felt so good. It felt like she was a teenager again. Red was so kind and generous, and he was a pretty good loser too. Any guy who doesn't get angry and slam things when he loses is a keeper.

It took Leaf a little while to make her decision, but she finally decided on a Pikachu poke-doll.

"It will remind me of you," she told Red, "I can hug it when you're not with me."

"Replacing me already?" he teased.

"Not replacing. Just holding your place," she assured him. The two of them hugged each other and Red gave her a quick kiss.

"You're really cute, Leaf."

"Why thank you."

"Come on. I'll treat little miss winning streak to some lunch," Red told her.

"That sounds great," she responded.

As they left the arcade and walked across the street to a café, Leaf felt reality sinking in. She had less than half a day left with Red. It wasn't goodbye for very long, she was sure, but it still felt… empty. They'd fallen in love and now their time together was drawing to a close.

She didn't want to be alone again. But soon enough she would be as lonely as a single star in the midnight sky.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"This is it," Red sighed.

"Yeah…"

"I'm going to miss you like hell."

"Me too."

The two of them were hugging each other tightly outside Leaf's apartment building.

"Listen, Leaf. This week has been the greatest pleasure I've had in a really long time."

"The same goes for me," she said, her eyes glistening with tears. It broke Red's heart to see her crying over him. The last thing he wanted was to ever hurt her.

"I promise that we'll see each other soon," Red assured her, holding her tight. "I'm going to start my new training regimen soon, but once I've made progress I'll fly here to see you, I promise."

"I know. And I can't wait for that day to come," Leaf said. Red felt his own eyes beginning to tear up. Why couldn't she just come back to Pallet right now?

"I love you… with all my heart," he said.

"I love you too. Always."

With that, the two of them pulled apart. Red wiped the tears from Leaf's cheeks, and she brushed a tear off of his own cheek. He wanted to put on a brave face for her, but it was so hard.

"I'm going to go inside now," Leaf told him, "If I have to watch you fly away it'll kill me."

"Okay," Red whispered, "Goodbye, Leaf."

"Goodbye, Red."

As he watched her walk inside, Red suddenly felt completely alone in the night air. He wanted nothing more than to run in after her and stay for another week, but he had already taken too much time off from the league and he was eager to begin training.

He needed to focus. He needed to get into that mindset of training. He needed that edgy determination which had helped him become champion in the first place. And above all else, he needed to know if the goal he had thought of this morning would work out. That's why he needed to make a stop before he left the city.

He walked through the streets of Lumiose, saying farewell to all of the places he'd come to know in the past few days. The places where he had made memories with the woman he loved.

Eventually, Red reached his destination. Before him stood the apartment building where Silver and Lyra lived. He had to ask them something. Something important.

As he knocked on their apartment door, Red suddenly felt nervous. He knew that Leaf had yet to tell her half-brother that the two of them were dating now. He felt it would be best not to bring it up.

When the door opened, Silver didn't look completely surprised to see him.

"Hey Red," he greeted, "Let me guess. You came here for some love advice regarding my sister."

"No," Red answered in annoyance. "I do have a question though. A question for both you and Lyra."

"Well then, by all means, come on in."

"Thank you."

"Hey Red!" Lyra greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Lyra," Red greeted in response, "I'll cut to the chase so as not to disturb your evening more than I already have. Do either of you know… where Gold is these days?"

Silver and Lyra exchanged a glance.

"Gold is training in secret," Silver informed him, "Nobody knows where he is. That kid always had a thirst for power. I can't believe he never became champion."

"He is a remarkable trainer," Red agreed, "And that's why… I really want to battle him again."

"I'm positive that he would agree to that," Lyra said in encouragement.

"That's good. But I don't want to battle him right now. I need some time to prepare. And I'm sure he would like time to prepare as well. Can either of you tell me… just how strong he's become?"

"I battled him a few years ago," Silver admitted, "He wiped the floor with me. The way he trains is very intense. He secludes himself in the wild and focuses solely on his training. No distractions. Just him and his Pokémon and his quest for strength."

"He's that dedicated…" Red pondered.

"Yes. And Red, I have to suggest… that if you do intend to battle Gold, you'll have to train in the same way. Otherwise you don't stand a chance," Silver said. His voice rang with truth.

Train like Gold… secluded in the wild for a long period of time. No distractions. Red couldn't do that. If he did that he would have to put his relationship with Leaf on hold. And if he did that it would break Leaf's heart and likely just end the relationship all together. No. That wasn't an option.

But he wanted to battle Gold. No, he _needed_ to battle him. Gold was the only person that had ever defeated him as champion. However, Gold didn't want the title of champion. He wanted to keep traveling. So they had never told the public about Red's defeat. It was his darkest secret.

It had bothered him all these years that Gold had defeated him. He'd felt like he was no longer a real champion, and it was probably a big part of why he had stopped taking his training so seriously.

He could never take himself seriously again until he defeated Gold. He had to do this. Leaf wanted him to become the confident champion he once was, and if this what he had to go through to achieve it, then he was going to do it. He would have to leave her. He would have to break her heart… as well as his own.

"Silver… are you able to communicate with Gold?"

"Yes, if it's important."

"Tell him that I challenge him. Not right away, but in the future. Tell him that when he's ready to fight me, go to the Viridian City Gym. The leader there will tell him how to find me."

"You've got it, Red."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me." Red said goodbye to the happy couple and then left their apartment. When he got outside, he began to question himself. Was this really the right thing to do? Morally, it was obviously wrong. It was emotionally wrong. He could already feel the ache in his chest and the tears in his eyes at the thought of losing Leaf. He loved her. He loved her more than anything in the world.

But he wanted that power. He wanted to be powerful for her. Gold's victory over him had made it impossible for him to feel like he deserved to be champion, and over the years it had turned him apathetic. He knew that even if he trained really hard, he could never be the champion he once was if he didn't defeat Gold. He couldn't turn his life back around without undoing the past.

He had to do it. But he couldn't do it the way he was now. He would have to shut off his emotions completely, or the pain of losing Leaf, the pain of hurting her as badly as he was about to, would consume him,

Red would have to become numb inside. He would have to be cold as ice if he was going to train so rigorously. He couldn't allow himself to be human or he would break. The only way to ignore his love for Leaf and the pain he was about to cause for both of them, was to become a machine.

As he walked back towards Leaf's apartment, he felt the color draining from his face. He could feel his red eyes losing the light he had noticed in them the past few days. He could feel each new memory he had made with Leaf fall outside of his mind and into a box which he locked up tight, not to be tampered with until he was through this training. He would have to forget everything.

Everything except for Gold.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

She was fading in and out of sleep as though a train kept speeding by repeatedly, being half woken over and over by the crescendo and decrescendo of the Doppler Effect as it passed. She was fading in and out of illusion and reality, as she had been for the past several years of her life. There is a moment between sleep and awakening. And as Leaf's eyes opened this moment came to an end.

"Hmm… time to wake Red up…" she thought to herself sleepily, "Oh… that's right." She suddenly remembered that Red had gone last night. She was alone again. For a minute, she was filled with loneliness, but she reminded herself that as long as Red loved her she was never truly alone. She'd hear his voice on the Pokégear later.

Leaf went through her usual morning routine of showering and making breakfast, then getting dressed to face the day. None of it felt the same after spending so many mornings teasing Red.

"I guess I'll go tell Professor Sycamore that I'm back to work today," she sighed. Ugh.

As Leaf opened the door to her apartment, she prepared herself to go back to work. However, as she went to lock her door she noticed an enveloped taped to the outside. The envelope was labeled with her name, and she pulled it off carefully. Surely it was from Red, but what could it be?

Leaf went back inside her apartment and sat down with the note, her heart beating nervously.

 _Dear Leaf,_

 _There is no easy way to tell you this, but I'm going to try. I need you to understand that I am in love with you. Please don't doubt the sincerity of those words._

 _Over the past week, you have helped me to realize that I am currently unworthy of my title as champion. I had planned to head home with a firm resolve to train, and train hard, until I once again become powerful enough to deserve my title. However, I knew that I needed a goal to reach for. Yesterday, I thought of what that goal should be. There is one trainer who has defeated me during my reign as champion: Gold._

 _While he chose not to accept the title after defeating me, I can't help but feel that I am not truly champion unless I defeat him. Before leaving for home last night, I stopped by Silver's apartment to see if he knew anything about Gold's whereabouts. He told me that Gold has been off the grid for several years, undergoing special training. If I truly plan to go head to head with him, then I need to do the same._

 _Leaf… It breaks my heart to do this to you. I'm going back on every promise I've made to you this week. But this is something that I have to do. And I have to do it alone. I've chosen a secret location to do my training. I've not told anyone where I will be. And I cannot tell you. I don't know how long it will take before I'm ready to fight Gold again. And because of that, I think it's only fair that I let you be free._

 _You don't have to wait for me. I don't expect you to. I'll still be in love with you while I'm gone. I'll still be in love with you when I come back. But it would be too much to ask of you to hold on to that love. So please, forget about me. You're a better person now. You can go find a man who will treat you with the respect you deserve. And you can be happy. Please… do that for me._

 _I know you won't be able to forgive me for this. I am selfish, and I always have been. I'm sorry._

 _Red Ketchum_

Leaf stared down at the paper in her hands, her heart squeezed dry of all feeling. Her throat hurt and her eyes stung with tears.

"Why…"

It was the only word she could say. It was the only feeling she had left. The perpetual ache of wanting answers and knowing that there were none. That she was abandoned without understanding. Without intelligible reason.

"Why…" she sobbed softly, "Why… whyyy…. WHYYYYyyyyy….." she began to sob uncontrollably. She wanted Red. Her Red. Right now, and she couldn't have him. He was gone. She couldn't call him. She couldn't find him. He had disappeared from her arms and from all forms of access. She was left with nothing but aggressive loneliness.

How could he do this to her? How could he claim that he loved her and then toss her aside like she was nothing? He was a liar. He was just like everyone else. She had been fooled. She felt used.

Of course this would happen. It was Red, after all. He had always been obsessed with training and becoming strong. And she had reawakened that obsession within him. He was never coming back. Never. And even when he did, he wouldn't be able to love her anymore. His one true love was battling. She knew it all along but had been to blind to accept it.

"No… this isn't over," she said to herself, "I'm not going to let him do this without my getting to speak. I'm not worthless. I'm not powerless against his decision. I'm valuable, and he's the one who taught me that and he's going to listen to what I have to say, dammit!"

Leaf walked out onto her balcony, releasing her Altaria. "This is it. We're headed to the Kanto region!" she declared. "I may not be able to change Red's mind, but I can still die trying!"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Blue!" Leaf shouted, kicking the doors of the Viridian Gym, "Let me in this instant!"

"What the hell are you doing?! It's two o'clock in the morning!" a voice shouted from inside.

"Open the damn door!" Leaf once again demanded, kicking the door harder than before.

"Okay, okay, just calm down alright?" Blue conceded. In a short second, he had the door opened and Leaf stomped inside.

"I know you know something!" she accused, pointing her finger in his face, "Tell me where Red is! Now!"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Blue said in protest, "And you'd better calm the fuck down before I kick you out of my gym!"

"Red isn't stupid! He would never go anywhere secluded without letting at least one person know where he is, and you're his most trusted friend! Tell me where he is or I'll start breaking things!"

"Do you realize how crazy you sound right now! And why should I tell you anything! Red was as normal as pumpkin pie before you got your she-claws all over him! I never should have left this up to you!"

"Say that again and I'll use my 'she-claws' to rip your eyeball out!"

"Our plan was to make Red stop being so apathetic! We wanted him to start taking his title seriously again! One week with you and he's having some sort of crisis, calling me up and telling me about how he has to live in seclusion and train while his heart breaks from losing his one true love –"

"One true love…" Leaf trailed off. He had said that. He had told Blue that she was his one true love. There was still hope. There was still a chance that she could talk some sense into him.

"Where the hell is he!?" Leaf demanded, grabbing Blue by the front of his shirt.

"Listen to me," he grunted in annoyance, "I do know where Red is. But if you want me to tell you then you need to hear me out first."

Leaf stared into his eyes. She could practically feel the heat pouring out from her own retinas. It spread from her eyes to the temples of her forehead, complimenting her nagging headache. What choice did she have? This was her childhood friend. She couldn't beat him up no matter how desperate she was to find Red.

"Fine," she conceded, letting go of his shirt.

"Thank you," Blue sighed, "Now listen… when Red came here last night, he looked like this… shell of the person we know and love. It scared the hell out of me. He told me about everything he's been going through emotionally this week. He told me about what a shock it's been to finally see what he's become. He's determined as hell to train himself back into the fighting machine he and his team were all those years ago."

"What do you mean he looked like a shell of himself?" Leaf asked.

"He's heartbroken, okay? Red had to choose between his desire to become the most powerful trainer he can be and his desire for you. It tore him apart to let you go. Just trust me… he loves you more than he's ever loved anybody."

"Why can't he have both?" Leaf asked. "Why can't he do his training and let me be a part of it?"

"Because he's chosen a path that requires all or nothing."

"I don't believe that!" Leaf felt her anger rise up once again.

"I don't believe that he needs to seclude himself so much! At the very least he can seclude himself with me!"

"Listen, Leaf. I know you're angry –"

"Angry? I am _livid._ Red abandoned me. He got my hopes up, and he got me to open my heart only to break it worse than anybody ever has…" Leaf looked down at their feet. "God, Blue… why does it hurt so much?"

Leaf began to cry quietly, and to her surprise Blue rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Leaf… don't cry. What you and Red have is special."

"Then why am I here all alone?"

Blue stared at the wall silently for a moment while Leaf dried her tears.

"I'll tell you where he is."

"You… you will?"

"I said I would… though Red is going to kill me…"

"Oh thank you, Blue!" Leaf said as she hugged him, causing the man to blush.

"Hey… no problem," he assured her, "Red… is on Mount Silver."

Leaf felt overwhelmed with emotion. All day she hadn't known where Red was, and now she knew. Now she could go and confront him. And hopefully she could change his mind.

"Blue… this makes up for what you did to me when we were kids," she told him.

"Which incident are we talking about?" Blue questioned.

"Maybe I should remind you…" Leaf said with a smirk. She began to lift her skirt just enough to see Blue's face turn red before dropping the material and laughing hysterically. "Like I would really let you see anything you pervert!"

"I saw it once and I don't need to see it again!" Blue shouted.

"You don't need to, but you totally want to!" Leaf accused.

"Just get out of here already!"

"As you wish," Leaf said with a bow. She was glad for the comic relief, but on the inside she was a mess. She was going to go talk to Red. He might not listen to her. He might even yell at her. And she would yell right back at him. She didn't want a fight though, she just wanted answers.

"Oh Red…" she whispered, "Please… don't let me go."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Red stood atop the mountain, surveying the area silently. This place was perfect. It was everything he'd hoped it would be. It was the sick, satisfying fulfillment of his cold, hard desires. Like he was raping life itself. He released his pokémon, and they all looked around in confusion. There was no sound here. Only silence, and bitter cold.

"We're going to be staying here for a long time," he explained to them, "I need to sort out my thoughts. And I need to become a true champion. This place is the perfect spot to train physically and mentally. There are plenty of strong pokémon in the area for you all to fight. And you're all free to roam around the mountain and train on your own when I'm not training you myself."

His pokémon stared at him with mixed emotions. Venusaur and Snorlax looked indifferent. Lapras and Pikachu looked sad. Charizard and Blastoise looked angry. Suddenly, Charizard released a flamethrower in Red's direction. Red jumped back out of the way and grunted.

"Cool it, Charizard. My mind is made up. And if you don't support me as my pokémon then you can leave." The dragon pokémon snorted once, then slithered off into the depths of the mountain. Red didn't worry though. He knew it would return by nightfall.

Pikachu jumped up onto Red's shoulder, nuzzling him sadly.

"I know, buddy... I miss her too. With all my heart. But this is home now. We're going to become the very best. And someday, when we go back down the mountain... we'll go find her again. That is, if she'll wait that long. And I doubt that she will."

Pikachu flattened its ears against its head sadly and stared down at the ground from Red's shoulder. Then it suddenly perked up as the sun began to rise, bathing the mountain in warm light.

"This sunlight... it's so pure... and it feels different up here, doesn't it?" Red said. Pikachu nodded its head. Something about the air around him made Red feel alive. It was thinner, lighter, it made him work just to breathe in enough of it. And he loved that. He loved the challenge. He and his pokémon would become stronger up here for sure. The environment could only encourage it.

Red smiled a small smile as he watched the sunrise. Thirteen years ago, he had left Pallet Town with a dream of becoming Champion. And he'd achieved that dream. After that, he hadn't bothered to start working towards a new dream. He may not agree with everything that Leaf had said to him over the past week, but she was right about one thing. He couldn't just sit still in his life. He needed to keep moving forward, keep changing... and keep getting stronger. He was going to be the very best. No trainer in the world would be able to defeat him. Not even Gold.

A black shape suddenly appeared in front of the sunset. It was a pokémon... a flying type pokémon. Red gasped as he realized that it was an Altaria. Could it be? But how..? The pokémon came towards them, and Red's heart began to beat wildly in his chest. He only had one question on his mind. Was Leaf riding that Altaria?

As the flying shape grew nearer, Red was able to spot Leaf's signature clothing. He wouldn't mistake those bright colors anywhere. Now his mind was flooded with all sorts of questions. How had she found him? What was she going to say to him? What was he supposed to say to her?

For a brief moment, Red allowed himself to entertain the idea of hiding. But he knew it was no good. If she was here already, then she knew for a fact that he was on this mountain. And she'd scour every inch of it until she found him.

He had left her. He had promised his love to her and left her the very next day. She must hate his guts. All he could feel right now were his guts churning inside of him.

He knew that she had spotted him when Altaria began to descend. He'd never felt so nervous in his entire life. Even though he had numbed his emotions, he was unable to keep them frozen at the sight of her. Looking at her melted his heart, and every memory of their time together came flooding back. He stared at the ground below him in shame. He couldn't face her, but he had no choice. Surely she was going to tell him how much she hated him.

He could hear Altaria land in the snow a few feet away. He dared not look up, even as Leaf's footprints approached him.

"Red."

He felt a tear sliding down his cheek.

"Red… come home." He felt her hand touch his cheek. It felt so warm.

"I can't, Leaf. I have to do this. It's the only way I can become a true champion again. And I want this. I want is so bad."

"Then let me stay up here with you."

Red now felt the courage to glance up at her. She didn't seem to be angry. Just desperate. It would hurt less if she were angry.

"I can't let you do that."

"Red, I could help you train. I could cook you meals, I could offer advice, we could battle, I could –"

"Leaf…. No." Red said firmly. She stood there in silence for a moment, her eyes filling with tears. Suddenly, she lost her composure.

"Why the hell not?!" she shouted, "How could you do this to me after all the things you said? Were they just all lies, Red?! I trusted you! I believed that you loved me and that you wanted to make me happy, and the next thing I know I'm reading a note about how we can't be together! What the fuck do you call that, Red! It's total bullshit! Why do you have to fight Gold so bad anyway? Did his defeating you really mean so much?"

"It did! It's the reason I stopped taking myself seriously as a champion! And if I'm going to get my power back then I have to fight him! I have to train harder than I've ever trained before! And I have to have no distractions and that includes you!"

Leaf trembled before him in shock and anger. His own heart was beating with countless emotions.

"I'm just a distraction, am I?" she said quietly, "Is that how little I mean to you?"

"No… you mean… the world to me," Red said, once again looking down at the ground. If I could do this and make you happy at the same time I would. I'd give anything to make that possible."

"It is possible," Leaf insisted. "Let me stay up here with you. I won't get in your way, I promise."

"Leaf…"

"Red. I won't take no for an answer. I won't let you destroy yourself up here without someone to look after you. Let me be that someone."

"I… I…" Red lost it. He felt tears streaming down his face. "I've been so selfish, Leaf! I'm sorry!"

"Red… tell me I can stay."

"You… you can stay. But only if you can handle being up here for a long time."

"I can. And I can make trips down into Kanto for us. You won't have to abandon your training for a second with me to take care of you."

"Oh Leaf… Leaf, I don't deserve you."

"Yes you do. You deserve the entire world, Red. And together we'll make you strong. And then we can live a normal life with you as champion and me as your better half."

"Oh Leaf," Red laughed, "You are my greatest treasure."

"I know… and you're mine."

The two of them embraced each other in a tight hug.

"You need somebody to keep you warm up here anyway you know," Leaf told him flirtatiously.

"Indeed I do," he admitted, "I can't think of any person better suited for the job."

Leaf smiled. He felt like her smile could heal all of the pain he'd gone through in the past 24 hours. He only hoped that his own smile could heal hers.

The week he'd spent with Leaf was a moment between two parts of his life. A moment between the past thirteen years of settling and the next several years of hard training ahead of him. A moment between sleep, and awakening. He had been unformed, uncivilized, untitled. Suspended between was and will be. And now, he was awake again. They'd stay here on this mountain. For now. And someday, they'd go back down to the real world as a champion and a queen. He would treat Leaf like royalty for the rest of their lives. He'd have to if he was going to make up for their time up here in the mountains.

And they'd start a new moment. A long moment together in happiness, until they awoke into the next chapter, whatever that may bring.

 **THE END**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **There it is. The ending to the main story. Remember, there is still an epilogue coming, so we're not totally finished!**

 **It has been great writing this story. I'm so sorry that it's taken so long to complete a 10 chapter story but life is… well, life.**

 **Thank you so much to those of you who have read this thing. I'll give some proper thank-you's when I post the epilogue. No idea when that will be. Probably a long time from now knowing me.**

 **Thanks again everyone!**


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